Sai-ony  Sk  Major  Lith 


117  FuLto 


KING    HENDRICK. 


THE 


AMERICAN    INDIANS. 

v 

THEIR  HISTORY, 

CONDITION  AND   PEOSPECTS, 


FROM 


ORIGINAL  NOTES  AND  MANUSCRIPTS. 


BY  HENRY  R.  SCHOOLCRAFT. 


TOGETHER  WITH  AN  APPENDIX,  CONTAINING  THRILLING 
"NARRATIVES,  DARING  EXPLOITS,  ETC.  ETC. 


NEW    REVISED    EDITION. 


ROCHESTER: 
WANZER,    FOOT    AND    CO. 

1851. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1851,  by 

GEO.  H.  DERBY  &  CO., 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the 
Northern  District  of  New  York. 


JEWETT,  THOMAS  A  CO.,  PRINTERS,  BUFFALO. 


PERSONAL   REMINISCENCES. 

IT  is  now  twenty-six  years  since  I  first  entered  the  area  of  the  Missis 
sippi  valley,  with  the  view  of  exploring  its  then  but  imperfectly  known 
features,  geographical  and  geological.  Twenty-two  years •  of  this  period 
have  elapsed  since  I  entered  on  the  duties  of  an  Executive  Agent  for  the 
United  States  Government  in  its  higher  northern  latitudes  among  the  In 
dian  tribes  in  the  west.  Having  devoted  so  large  a  portion  of  my  life  in 
an  active  sphere,  in  which  the  intervals  of  travel  left  me  favourable  oppor 
tunities  of  pursuing  the  languages  and  history  of  this  branch  of  the 
race,  it  appears  to  be  a  just  expectation,  that,  in  sitting  down  to  give  some 
account  of  this  people,  there  should  be  some  preliminary  remarks,  to  ap 
prise  the  reader  how  and  why  it  is,  that  his  attention  is  recalled  to  a  topic 
which  he  may  have  supposed  to  be  well  nigh  exhausted.  This  it  is  pro 
posed  to  do  by  some  brief  personal  reminiscences,  beginning  at  the  time 
above  alluded  to. 

The  year  1814  constituted  a  crisis,  not  only  in  our  political  history, 
but  also  in  our  commercial,  manufacturing,  and  industrial  interests.  The 
treaty  of  Ghent,  which  put  a  period  to  the  war  with  England,  was  a 
blessing  to  many  individuals  and  classes  in  America :  but,  in  its  conse 
quences,  it  had  no  small  share  of  the  effects  of  a  curse  upon  that  class  of 
citizens  who  were  engaged  in  certain  branches  of  manufactures.  It  was 
a  peculiarity  of  the  crisis,  that  these  persons  had  been  stimulated  by 
double  motives,  to  invest  their  capital  and  skill  in  the  perfecting  and  estab 
lishment  of  the  manufactories  referred  to,  by  the  actual  wants  of  the 
country  and  the  high  prices  of  the  foreign  articles.  No  pains  and  no  cost 
had  been  spared,  by  many  of  them,  to  supply  this  demand  ;  and  it  was 
another  result  of  the  times,  that  no  sooner  had  they  got  well  established, 
and  were  in  the  high  road  of  prosperity  than  the  peace  came  and  plunged 
them  headlong  from  the  pinnacle  of  success.  This  blow  fell  heavier 
upon  some  branches  than  others.  It  was  most  fatal  to  those  manufacturers 
who  had  undertaken  to  produce  fabrics  of  the  highest  order,  or  which 
belong  to  an  advanced  state  of  the  manufacturing  prosperity  of  a  nation. 
Be  this  as  it  may,  however,  it  fell  with  crushing  force  upon  that  branch  in 
which  I  was  engaged.  As  soon  as  the  American  ports  were  opened  to 
these  fabrics,  the  foreign  makers  who  could  undersell  us,  poured  in  cargo 
on  cargo  ;  and  when  the  first  demands  had  been  met,  these  cargoes  were 
ordered  to  be  sold  at  auction  ;  the  prices  immediately  fell  to  the  lowest 
point,  and  the  men  who  had  staked  in  one  enterprise  their  zeal,  skill  and 
money,  were  ruined  at  a  blow. 

Every  man  in  such  a  crisis,  must  mentally  recoil  upon  himself.    Habits 

o 


6  PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES. 

of  application,  reading,  and  an  early  desire  to  be  useful,  had  sustained 
me  at  a  prior  period  of  life,  through  the  dangers  and  fascinations  of  jovial 
company.  There  was  in  this  habit  or  temper  of  room-seclusion,  a  pleas 
ing  resource  of  a  conservative  character,  which  had  filled  up  the  intervals 
of  my  busiest  hours  ;  and  when  business  itself  came  to  a  stand,  it  had 
the  effect  to  aid  me  in  balancing  and  poising  my  mind,  while  I  pre 
pared  to  enter  a  wider  field,  and  indeed,  to  change  my  whole  plan  of  life. 
If  it  did  not  foster  a  spirit  of  right  thought  and  self-dependence,  it,  at 
least,  gave  a  degree  of  tranquillity  to  the  intervals  of  a  marked  pause,  and, 
perhaps,  flattered  the  ability  to  act. 

Luckily  I  was  still  young,  and  with  good  animal  spirits,  and  a  sound 
constitution  I  resolved  I  would  not  go  down  so.  The  result  of  seven 
years  of  strenuous  exertions,  applied  with  persevering  diligence  and  suc 
cess,  was  cast  to  the  winds,  but  it  was  seven  years  of  a  young  man's  life, 
and  I  thought  it  could  be  repaired  by  time  and  industry.  What  the  east 
withheld,  I  hoped  might  be  supplied  by  another  quarter.  I  turned  my 
thoughts  to  the  west,  and  diligently  read  all  I  could  find  on  the  subject. 
The  result  of  the  war  of  1812,  (if  this  contest  had  brought  no  golden 
showers  on  American  manufacturers,  as  I  could  honestly  testify  in  my 
own  case,)  had  opened  to  emigration  and  enterprise  the  great  area 
west  of  the  Alleghanies.  The  armies  sent  out  to  battle  with  Indian, 
and  other  foes,  on  the  banks  of  the  Wabash,  the  Illinois,  the  Detroit,  the 
Raisin  and  the  Miami  of  the  Lakes,  had  opened  to  observation  attractive 
scenes  for  settlement ;  and  the  sword  was  no  sooner  cast  aside,  than  emi 
grants  seized  hold  of  the  axe  and  the  plough.  This  result  was  worth  the 
cost  of  the  whole  contest,  honour  and  glory  included.  The  total  prostra 
tion  of  the  moneyed  system  of  the  country,  the  effects  of  city-lot  and  other 
land  speculations,  while  the  system  was  at  its  full  flow,  and  the  very 
backward  seasons  of  1816  and  1817,  attended  with  late  and  early  frosts, 
which  extensively  destroyed  the  corn  crop  in  the  Atlantic  states,  all  lent 
their  aid  in  turning  attention  towards  the  west  and  south-west,  where  seven 
new  states  have  been  peopled  and  organized,  within  the  brief  period  to 
which  these  reminiscences  apply :  namely,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Mississippi, 
Missouri,  Alabama,  Arkansas  and  Michigan,  besides  the  flourishing  terri 
tories  of  Wisconsin  and  Iowa,  and  the  more  slowly  advancing  territory 
of  Florida.  It  appeared  to  me,  that  information,  geographical  and  other, 
of  such  a  wide  and  varied  region,  whose  boundaries  were  but  ill  defined, 
mirst  be  interesting  at  such  a  period ;  and  I  was  not  without  the  hope  that 
the  means  of  my  future  advancement  wotfld  be  found  in  connexion  with 
the  share  I  might  take  in  the  exploration  of  it.  With  such  views  I  resolved 
to  go  west.  This  feeling  I  find  to  be  expressed  on  the  back  of  an  old  slip 
of  an  account  of  the  period  : 

u  I  will  go  by  western  fountain, 
I  will  wander  far  and  wide ; 


PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES.  7 

Till  some  sunny  spot  invite  me, 
Till  some  guardian  bid  me  bide. 

"  Snow  or  tempest — plain  the  drearest 

Shall  oppose  a  feeble  bar, 
Since  I  go  from  friends  the  dearest, 
'Tis  no  matter  then  how  far. 

"  On  ! — 'tis  useless  here  to  dally  ; 

On ! — I  can  but  make  or  mar  ; 
Since  my  fortune  leads  to  sally, 

'Tis  no  matter  then  how  far." 

Of  the  "  seven  years"  to  which  allusion  has  been  made  I  had  spent 
four  in  New  England  a  land,  which  is  endeared  to  me  at  this  distance  of 
time,  by  recollections  of  hospitality,  virtue,  and  manly  intelligence. 

While  engaged  in  the  direction  of  the  business  above  named,  I  had  pre 
pared  the  notes  and  materials  for  my  first  publication,  in  which  I  aimed 
to  demonstrate  the  importance  of  an  acquaintance  with  Chemistry  and 
Mineralogy  in  the  preparation  and  fusion  of  numerous  substances  in  the 
mineral  kingdom,  which  result  in  the  different  conditions  of  the  various 
glasses,  enamels,  &c.  I  had,  from  early  youth,  cultivated  a  taste  for 
mineralogy,  long  indeed  it  may  be  said,  before  I  knew  that  mineralogy 
was  a  science  ;  and,  as  opportunities  increased,  had  been  led  by  my  in 
quiries,  (which  I  followed  with  ardour  but  with  very  slight  helps,)  to  add 
to  this  some  knowledge  of  elementary  chemistry  and  experimental  philos 
ophy,  and  to  supply  myself,  from  Boston  and  New  York,  with  books, 
apparatus,  and  tests.  I  do  not  know  that  there  were  any  public  lectures 
on  mineralogy,  &c.  at  this  time,  say  from  1810  to  '16  ;  certainly,  there, 
were  none  within  my  reach.  I  gleaned  from  the  best  sources  I  could, 
and  believe  that  the  late  Professor  Frederick  Hall  was  the  only  person  to 
whom  I  was  indebted  even  for  occasional  instructions  in  these  depart 
ments.  He  was  a  man  strongly  devoted  to  some  of  the  natural  sciences, 
particularly  mineralogy  ;  and  was  erudite  in  the  old  authors  on  the  sub 
ject,  whom  he  liked  to  quote  ;  and  £  may  say  that  I  continued  to  enjoy 
his  confidence  and  friendship  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  happened  in 
1843.  From  such  sources,  from  the  diligent  reading  of  books,  and 
from  experiments,  conducted  with  the  advantage  of  having  under  my 
charge  extensive  works,  at  various  times,  in  the  states  of  New  York,  Ver 
mont  and  New  Hampshire,  I  drew  the  principles  which  formed  the  basis 
of  my  treatise  on  Vitreology.  With  this  work  in  hand,  I  left  Keene,  in 
New  Hampshire,  early  in  the  winter  of  1817  ;  and,  crossing  the  Con 
necticut  river  at  Brattleboro,'  proceeded  over  the  Green  Mountains,  by  the 
route  of  Bennington,to  Albany,  and  thence  returned  to  my  father's  house 
in  western  New  York.  No  time  was  lost  in  issuing  proposals  for  the 
work  ;  and  I  had  the  satisfaction  to  find  that  the  portions  published,  and 


8  PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES. 

the  entire  plan  and  merits  of  it  were  warmly  approved  by  the  pen  of  the 
late  Mr.  Maynard  of  Utica,  and  by  several  liberal  minded  and  intelligent 
persons.  Before  quitting  New  England,  I  had  determined  to  go  to  the 
Mississippi  valley,  and  had  begun  to  study  its  geography  ;  and  I  now 
resolved  to  proceed,  without  unnecessary  delay. 

Means  constitute  the  first  object  of  solicitude  in  all  such  undertakings. 
The  ebbing  tide  of  manufacturing  prosperity  to  which  I  have  referred,  had 
left  me  very  poor.  From  the  fragments  of  former  acquisitions,  for  which, 
however,  I  was  exclusively  indebted  to  my  own  industry,  I  raised  a  small 
sum  of  money — much  smaller  I  think  than  most  men  would  be  willing 
to  start  with,  who  had  resolved  to  go  so  far.  I  had,  in  truth,  but  sixty 
dollars  in  the  world  ;  but  I  possessed  a  very  good  wardrobe,  and  some 
other  personal  means,  such  as  it  may  be  supposed  will  adhere  to  a  man 
who  has  lived  in  abundance  for  many  years.  I  put  up  a  miniature  col 
lection  of  mineralogical  specimens,  to  serve  as  a  standard  of  comparison 
in  the  west,  a  few  implements  for  analysis,  some  books  which  I  thought  it 
would  be  difficult  to  meet  with  in  that  region,  and  some  drawing  mate 
rials.  I  had  connected  these  things  in  some  way  with  my  future  success. 
In  other  respects,  I  had  the  means,  as  above  hinted,  of  making  a  respect 
able  appearance.  Thus  prepared,  I  bade  adieu  to  my  father  and  mother, 
and  also  to  three  sisters  and  a  brother,  all  younger  than  myself,  and  set 
forward.  The  winter  of  1818  had  opened  before  I  reached  my  brother'* 
house  at  Geneva,  in  western  New  York.  From  this  point  I  determined 
to  leave  the  main  track,  through  the  Genessee  county  west,  and  to  strike 
the  head  waters  of  the  Alleghany  river,  so  as  to  descend  that  stream  with 
the  spring  flood. 

My  brother  drove  me  in  his  own  sleigh,  as  far  as  Angelica.  By  the 
time  we  reached  that  place,  being  no  traveller  and  much  fatigued  with 
the  intricacies  and  roughness  of  the  road,  he  was  fain  to  give  over  his 
undertaking,  and  I  parted  from  him,  sending  back  the  sleigh  from  Olean, 
to  take  him  home. 

The  Alleghany  river  was  locked  with  ice  when  I  reached  it.  I  had 
an  opportunity  to  cross  it  on  foot,  and  to  examine  in  the  vicinity  those 
evidences  of  the  coal  formation  which  are  found  in  masses  of  bituminous 
shale,  slaty  coal  and  petroleum.  The  river  began  to  open  about  the  middle 
of  March.  I  left  Olean  in  the  first  ark  for  the  season,  borne  onwards  down 
the  sweeping  Alleghany  at  the  top  of  the  flood,  often  through  winding 
channels,  and  once  in  danger  of  being  precipitated  over  a  mill  dam.  by 
taking  the  wrong  channel. 

On  another  occasion,  just  as  we  were  coming  to  the  division  of  the 
channel,  at  the  head  of  a  group  of  islands,  a  tall  Seneca  Indian,  standing 
in  the  bow  of  a  very  long  pine  canoe,  crjed  out,  in  a  tone  of  peculiar  em 
phasis,  "  Keep  to  the  right — I  speak  it."  This  direction  we  followed,  and 
were  saved  from  another  mishap.  We  tied  the  ark  to  the  shore  at  night, 


PERSONAL     REMINISCENCES.  9 

built  a  fire  on  the  bank  and  cooked  a  supper.  On  passing  the  Conowonga, 
it  was  at  the  height  of  its  flood,  and  appeared  to  bring  in  as  much  water  as 
the  Alleghany.  We  stopped  at  the  noted  chief  Cornplanter's  village,  and 
also  to  gratify  a  reminiscent  curiosity,  at  the  mouth  of  French  Creek, 
connected  with  Washington's  perilous  adventure  in  visiting  Fort  de  Boef, 
now  Erie.  At  Kittaning,  a  great  scow  ferry  boat  was  rowed  and  man 
aged  by  two  women  or  girls  with  a  degree  of  muscular  exertion,  or  rather 
ease,  which  would  put  to  the  blush  many  a  man  east  or  west  of  the  Alle- 
ghanies.  The  tone,  air,  and  masculine  strength  of  these  girl-boatmen, 
reminded  me  of  nothing  this  side  of  Rollin's  description  of  the  Amazons 
— save  that  the  same  provision  was  not  apparent  for  drawing  the  bow. 
Bold  hills  line  both  banks  of  the  river  along  its  upper  parts,  and  continue, 
indeed,  at  farther  intervals  apart,  to  very  near  the  junction  of  the  Monon- 
gahela  ;  but  long  before  this  point,  the  stream  is  one  of  noble  dimensions, 
clear,  broad,  and  strong.  After  a  voyage  of  exciting  and  vivid  interest, 
I  reached  and  landed  at  Pittsburgh 


NO.  II. 


It  is  Dr.  Johnson,  I  think,  who  says,  that  we  take  slight  occasions  to 
be  pleased.  At  least,  I  found  it  so,  on  the  present  occasion  ;  the  day  of 
my  arrival  was  my  birth  day,  and  it  required  but  little  stretch  of  imagi 
nation  to  convert  the  scene  upon  which  I  had  now  entered,  into  a  new 
world.  It  was  new  to  me. — I  was  now  fairly  in  the  great  geological 
valley  of  the  west,  the  object  of  so  many  anticipations. 

The  ark,  in  which  I  had  descended  the  Allegany,  put  ashore  near  the 
point  of  land,  which  is  formed  by  the  junction  of  the  Monongahela  with 
this  fine  clear  stream.  The  dark  and  slowly  moving  waters  of  the  one, 
contrasted  strongly  with  the  sparkling  velocity  of  the  other.  I  felt  a 
buoyancy  of  spirits  as  I  leapt  ashore,  and  picked  up  some  of  its  clean 
pebbles  to  see  what  kind  of  geological  testimony  they  bore  to  the  actual 
character  of  their  parent  beds  in  the  Apalachian  range. 

"  What  shall  I  pay  you,  for  my  passage,  from  Olean,"  said  I,  to  the 
gentleman  with  whom  I  had  descended,  and  at  whose  ark-table  I  had 
found  a  ready  seat  with  his  family.  "  Nothing,  my  dear  sir,"  he  replied 
with  a  prompt  and  friendly  air, — "  Your  cheerful  aid  in  the  way,  taking 
the  oars  whenever  the  case  required  it,  has  more  than  compensated  for 
any  claims  on  that  score,  and  I  only  regret  that  you  are  not  going  further 
with  us." 

Committing  my  baggage  to  a  carman,  I  ascended  the  bank  of  diluvial 
earth  and  pebbles  with  all  eagerness,  and  walked  to  the  point  of  land 
where  Fort  Pitt  (old  Fort  Du  Quesne)  had  stood.  It  is  near  this  point 
that  the  Alleghany  and  Monongahela  unite,  and  give  birth  to  the  noble 
Ohio.  It  is  something  to  stand  at  the  head  of  such  a  stream.  The 
charm  of  novelty  is  beyond  all  others.  I  could  realize,  in  thought,  as  I 
stood  here,  gazing  on  the  magnificent  prospect  of  mingling  waters,  and 
their  prominent  and  varied  shores,  the  idea,  which  is  said  to  be  embodied 
in  the  old  Mingo  substantive-exclamation  of  O-he-o !  a  term,  be  it  remem 
bered,  which  the  early  French  interpreters  at  once  rendered,  and  truly,  it 
is  believed,  by  the  name  of  La  Belle  Riviere. 

So  far.  I  said  to  myself,  all  is  well, — I  am  now  west  of  the  great 
spinal  chain.  All  that  I  know  of  America  is  now  fairly  east  of  me-  — 
bright  streams,  warm  hearts  and  all.  I  have  fairly  'cast  myself  loose 

10 


PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES.  11 

on  the  wide  waters  of  the  west.  I  have  already  come  as  many  hundred 
miles,  as  there  are  days  in  the  week,  but  I  begin  my  travels  here.  I 
have,  as  it  were,  taken  my  life  in  my  hand.  Father  and  mother,  I  may 
never  see  more.  God  wot  the  result.  I  'go  to  seek  and  fulfil  an  unknown 
destiny.  Come  weal  or  woe,  I  shall  abide  the  result.  All  the  streams 
run  south,  and  I  have  laid  in,  with  "time  and  chance"  for  a  journey  with 
them.  1  am  but  as  a  chip  on  their  surface — nothing  more !  Whether 
my  bones  are  to  rest  in  this  great  valley,  or  west  of  the  Cordilleras,  or  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  I  know  not.  I  shall  often  think  of  the  silver  losco, 
the  farther  I  go  from  it.  To  use  a  native  metaphor,  My  foot  is  on  the 
path,  and  the  word,  is  onward !  "  The  spider  taketh  hold  with  her 
hands,"  Solomon  says,  "  and  is  in  king's  palaces."  Truly,  a  man  should 
accomplish,  by  diligence,  as  much  as  a  spider. 

Pittsburgh  was,  even  then,  a  busy  manufacturing  town,  filled  witn 
working  machinery,  steam  engines,  hammers,  furnaces,  and  coal  smoke. 
I  visited  Mr.  O'Hara,  and  several  other  leading  manufacturers.  They 
made  glass,  bar  iron,  nails,  coarse  pottery,  castings,  and  many  other 
articles,  which  filled  its  shops  and  warehouses,  and  gave  it  a*city-like 
appearance.  Every  chimney  and  pipe,  perpendicular  or  lateral,  puffed 
out  sooty  coal  smoke,  and  it  required  some  dexterity  to  keep  a  clean  collar 
half  a  day.  I  met  ladies  who  bore  this  impress  of  the  city,  on  their  morning 
toilet.  I  took  lodgings  at  Mrs.  McCullough's,  a  respectable  hotel  on  Wood 
street,  and  visited  the  various  manufactories,  for  which  the  place  was  then, 
and  is  now  celebrated.  In  these  visits,  1  collected  accurate  data  of  the  cost 
of  raw  material,  the  place  where  obtained,  the  expense  of  manufacture,  and 
the  price  of  the  finished  fabric.  I  had  thus  a  body  of  facts,  which  enabled 
me,  at  least  to  converse  understandingly  on  these  topics,  to  give  my 
friends  in  the  east,  suitable  data,  and  to  compare  the  advantages  of  manu 
facturing  here  with  those  possessed  by  the  eastern  and  middle  states.  Every 
thing  was,  in  the  business  prospects  of  the  west,  however,  at  a  compara 
tively  low  ebb.  The  prostrating  effects  of  the  war,  and  of  the  peace,  were 
alike  felt.  We  had  conquered  England,  in  a  second  contest,  but  were 
well  exhausted  with  the  effort.  The  country  had  not  recovered  from  the 
sacrifices  and  losses  of  a  series  of  military  operations,  which  fell  most 
heavily  on  its  western  population.  Its  agricultural  industry  had  been 
crippled.  Its  financial  affairs  were  deranged.  Its  local  banks  were 
broken  ;  its  manufactories  were  absolutely  ruined.  There  was  little  con 
fidence  in  business,  and  never  was  credit,  public  and  private,  at  a  lower 
ebb.  There  was  however,  one  thing,  in  which  the  west  held  out  a 
shining  prospect.  It  had  abundance  of  the  finest  lands  in  the  world, 
and  in  fact,  it  promised  a  happy  home  to  the  agricultural  industry  of  half 
the  world.  It  was  literally  the  land  of  promise,  to  the  rest  of  the  union, 
if  not  to  Europe. 

Having  seen  whatever  I  wished  in  Pittsburgh,  I  hired  a  horse  and 


12  PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES. 

crossing  the  Monongahela,  went  up  its  southern  banks,  as  high  as  Wii- 
liamsport.  I  found  the  country  people  were  in  the  habit  of  calling  the  city 
"  Pitt"  or  "  Fort  Pitt,"  a  term  dating  back  doubtless  to  the  time  of  the  sur 
render,  or  rather  taking  possession  of  Fort  Du  Gluesne,  by  Gen.  Forbes. 
Mineral  coal  (bituminous)  characterizes  the  entire  region,  as  far  as  my 
excursion  reached.  By  a  happy  coincidence  in  its  geological  structure, 
iron  ores  are  contained  in  the  series  of  the  coai  deposits.  On  returning 
from  this  trip,  night  set  in,  very  dark  :  on  the  evening  I  approached  the 
summit  of  the  valley  of  the  Monongahela,  called  Coal  Hill.  The  long  and 
winding  road  down  this  steep  was  one  mass  of  moving  mud,  only  varied 
in  its  consistence,  by  sloughs,  sufficient  to  mire  both  man  and  horse.  I  was 
compelled  to  let  the  animal  choose  his  own  path,  and  could  only  give 
him  aid,  when  the  flashes  of  lightning  lit  up  the  scene  with  a  momentary 
brilliance,  which,  however,  had  often  no  other  effect  but  to  remind  me  of 
my  danger.  He  brought  me,  at  length,  safely  to  the  brink  of  the  river, 
and  across  the  ferry. 

To  be  at  the  head  of  the  Ohio  river,  and  in  the  great  manufacturing 
city  of  ihe  West,  was  an  exciting  thought,  in  itself.  I  had  regarded 
Pittsburgh  as  the  alpha,  in  my  route,  and  after  I  had  made  myself  familiar 
with  its  characteristics,  and  finding  nothing  to  invite  my  further  attention 
I  prepared  to  go  onward.  For  this  purpose,  I  went  down  to  the  banks 
of  the  Monongahela,  one  day,  where  the  arks  of  that  stream  usually 
touch,  to  look  for  a  passage.  I  met  on  the  beach,  a  young  man  from  Massa 
chusetts,  a  Mr.  Brigham, — who  had  come  on  the  same  errand,  and  being 
pleased  with  each  other,  we  engaged  a  passage  together,  and  getting  our 
baggage  aboard  immediately,  set  off  the  same  evening.  To  float  in  an  ark? 
down  one  of  the  loveliest  rivers  in  the  world,  was,  at  least,  a  novelty,  and 
as  all  novelty  gives  pleasure,  we  went  on  charmingly.  There  were  some 
ten  or  a  dozen  passengers,  including  two  married  couples.  We  prome 
naded  the  decks,  and  scanned  the  ever  changing  scenery,  at  every  bend, 
with  unalloyed  delight.  At  night  we  lay  down  across  the  boat,  with 
our  feet  towards  the  fire-place,  in  a  line,  with  very  little  diminution 
of  the  wardrobe  we  carried  by  day, — the  married  folks,  like  light 
infantry  in  an  army,  occupying  the  flanks  of  our  nocturnal  array.  The 
only  objection  I  found  to  the  night's  rest,  arose  from  the  obligation, 
each  one  was  tacitly  under,  to  repair  on  deck,  at  the  hollow  night-cry 
of  "oars!"  from  the  steersman.  This  was  a  cry  which  was  seldom 
uttered,  however,  except  when  we  were  in  danger  of  being  shoved,  by 
the  current,  on  the  head  of  some  island,  or  against  some  frowning  "snag," 
so  that  we  had  a  mutual  interest  in  being  punctual  at  this  cry.  By  it, 
sleep  was  to  be  enjoyed  only  in  sections,  sometimes  provokingly  short,  and 
our  dreams  of  golden  vallies,  studded  with  pearls  and  gems,  were  oddly 
jumbled -with  the  actual  presence  of  plain  matter  of  fact  things,  such  as 
running  across  a  tier  of  "old  monongahela"  or  getting  one's  fingers 


PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES.  13 

trod  on,  in  scrambling  on  cLek.  We  took  our  meals  on  our  laps,  sitting 
around  on  boxes  and  barrels,  and  made  amends  for  the  want  of  style  or 
elegance,  by  cordial  good  feeling  and  a  practical  exhibition  of  the  best 
principles  of  "  association."  There  was  another  pleasing  peculiarity  in 
this  mode  of  floating.  Two  or  more  arks  were  frequently  lashed 
together,  by  order  of  their  commanders,  whereby  our  conversational  circle 
was  increased,  and  it  was  not  a  rare  circumstance  to  find  both  singers 
and  musicians,  in  the  moving  communities  for  "  the  west,"  so  that  those 
who  were  inclined  to,  might  literally  dance  as  they  went.  This  was 
certainly  a  social  mode  of  conquering  the  wilderness,  and  gives  some 
idea  of  the  bouyancy  of  American  character.  How  different  from  the 
sensations,  felt,  in  floating  down  the  same  stream,  by  the  same  means,  in 
the  era  of  Boon, — the  gloomy  era  of  1777,  when  instead  of  violin,  or 
flageolet,  the  crack  of  the  Indian  rifle  was  the  only  sound  to  be  anticipated 
at  every  new  bend  of  the  channel. 

Off  Wheeling  the  commander  of  our  ark  made  fast  to  a  larger  one 
from  the  Monongahela,  which,  among  other  acquaintances  it  brought, 
introduced  rne  to  the  late  Dr.  Sellman  of  Cincinnatti,  who  had  been  a 
surgeon  in  Wayne's  army.  This  opened  a  vista  of  reminiscences,  which 
were  wholly  new  to  me,  and  served  to  impart  historical  interest  to  the  scene. 
Some  dozen  miles  below  this  town,  we  landed  at  the  Grave  Creek  Flats, 
for  the  purpose  of  looking  at  the  large  mound,  at  that  place.  I  did  not 
then  know  that  it  was  the  largest  artificial  structure  of  this  kind  in  tve 
western  country.  It  was  covered  with  forest  trees  of  the  native  growth, 
some  of  which  were  several  feet  in  diameter,  and  it  k?vd  indeed,  essen 
tially  the  same  look  and  character,  whic;.  I  found  it  to  present,  twenty- 
five  years  afterwards,  when  I  made  a  special  visit  to  this  remarkable 
mausoleum  to  verify  the  character  of  some  of  its  antiquarian  contents. 
On  ascending  the  flat  summit  of  the  mound,  I  found  a  charming  prospect 
around.  The  summit  was  just  50  feet  across.  There  was  a  cup-shaped 
concavity,  in  its  centre,  exciting  the  idea  that  there  had  been  some  internal 
sub-structure  which  had  given  way,  and  caused  the  earth  to  cave  in. 
This  idea,  after  having  been  entertained  for  more  than  half  a  century, 
was  finally  verified  in  1838,  when  Mr.  Abelard  Tomlinson,  a  grandson 
of  the  first  proprietor,  caused  it  to  be  opened.  They  discovered  two 
remarkable  vaults,  built  partly  of  stone,  and  partly  of  logs,  as  Avas  judged 
from  the  impressions  in  the  earth.  They  were  situated  about  seventeen 
feet  app.rt,  one  above  the  other.  Both  contained  bones,  the  remains  of 
human  skeletons,  along  with  copper  bracelets,  plates  of  mica,  sea  shells, 
heads  of  wrought  conch,  called  "  ivory"  by  the  multitude,  and  some  other 
relics,  most  of  which  were  analogous  to  articles  of  the  same  kind  occur 
ring  in  other  ancient  mounds  in  the  west.  The  occasion  would  not  indeed 
have  justified  the  high  expectations  which  had  been  formed,  had  it  not  been 
for  the  discovery,  in  one  of  the  vaults,  of  a  small  flat  stone  of  an  oval  form, 


14  PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES. 

containing  an  inscription  in  ancient  characters.  This  inscription,  which 
promises  to  throw  new  light  on  the  early  history  of  America,  has  not 
been  decyphered.  Copies  of  it  have  been  sent  abroad.  It  is  thought, 
by  the  learned  at  Copenhagen,  to  be  Celtiberic.  It  is  not,  in  their  view, 
Runic.  It  has,  apparently,  but  one  hieroglyphic,  or  symbolic  figure. 

A  good  deal  of  historical  interest  clusters  about  this  discovery  of  the 
inscribed  stone.  Tomlinson,  the  grandfather,  settled  on  these  flats  in  1772, 
two  years  before  the  murder  of  Logan's  family.  Large  trees,  as  large  as 
any  in  the  forest,  then  covered  the  flats  and  the  mound.  There  stood  in 
the  depression  I  have  mentioned,  in  the  top  of  the  mound,  a  large  beech 
tree,  which  had  been  visited  earlier,  as  was  shewn  by  several  names  and 
dates  cut  on  the  bark.  Among  these,  there  was  one  of  the  date  of  A.  D. 
1734.  This  I  have  seen  stated  under  Mr.  Tomlinson's  own  hand.  The 
place  continued  to  be  much  visited  from  1770  to  1790,  as  was  shewn 
by  newer  names  and  dates,  and  indeed,  continues  to  be  so  still.  There 
was  standing  at  the  time  of  my  first  visit  in  1818,  on  the  very  summit 
of  the  mound,  a  large  dead  or  decayed  white  oak,  which  was  cut  down, 
it  appears,  about  ten  years  afterwards.  On  counting  its  cortical  layers, 
it  was  ascertained  to  be  about  500  years  old.  This  would  denote  the 
desertion  of  the  mound  to  have  happened  about  the  commencement  of 
the  13th  century.  Granting  to  this,  what  appears  quite  clear,,  that  the  in 
scription  is  of  European  origin,  have  we  not  evidence,  in  this  fact,  of 
the  continent's  having  been  visited  prior  to  the  era  of  Columbus? 
Visited  by  whom?  By  a  people,  or  individuals,  it  may  be  said,  who  had 
the  use  of  an  antique  alphabet,  which  was  much  employed,  (although 
corrupted,  varied  and  complicated  by  its  spread)  among  the  native  priest 
hood  of  the  western  shores  and  islands  of  the  European  continent,  prior 
to  the  introduction  of  the  Roman  alphabet. 

The  next  object  of  antiquarian  interest,  in  my  descent,  was  at  Gallipolis 
— the  site  of  an  original  French  settlement  on  the  west  bank,  which  is 
connected  with  a  story  of  much  interest,  in  the  history  of  western 
migrations.  It  is  an  elevated  and  eligible  plain,  which  had  before  been 
the  site  of  an  Indian,  or  aboriginal  settlement.  Some  of  the  articles  found 
in  a  mound,  such  as  plates  of  mica  and  sea  shells,  and  beads  of  the  wrought 
conch,  indicated  the  same  remote  period  for  this  ancient  settlement,  as 
the  one  at  Grave  Creek  Flats ;  but  I  never  heard  of  any  inscribed  articles, 
or  monuments  bearing  alphabetic  characters. 

All  other  interest,  then  known,  on  this  subject,  yielded  to  that  which 
was  felt  in  witnessing  the  antique  works  at  Marietta.  Like  many  others 
who  had  preceded  me  and  many  who  have  followed  me,  in  my  visit,  I  felt 
while  walking  over  these  semi-military  ruins,  a  strong  wish  to  know, 
who  had  erected  works  so  different  from  those  of  the  present  race  of  In 
dians,  and  during  what  phasis  of  the  early  history  of  the  continent  ? 
A  covered  way  had,  evidently,  been  constructed,  from  the  margin  of 


PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES.  15 

the  Muskingum  to  the  elevated  square,  evincing  more  than  the  ordi 
nary  degree  of  military  skill  exercised  by  the  Western  Indians.  Yet 
these  works  revealed  one  trait,  which  assimilates  them,  in  character,  with 
others,  of  kindred  stamp,  in  the  west.  I  allude  to  the  defence  of  the  open 
gate-way,  hy  a  minor  mound  ;  clearly  denoting  that  the  passage  was  to  be 
disputed  by  men,  fighting  hand  to  hand,  who  merely  sought  an  advantage 
in  exercising  manual  strength,  by  elevation  of  position.  The  Marietta 
tumuli  also,  agree  in  style  with  others  in  the  Ohio  valley. 

A  leaden  plate  was  found  near  this  place,  a  few  years  after  this  visit,  of 
which  an  account  was  given  Ify  Gov.  Clinton,  in  a  letter  to  the  American 
Antiquarian  Society,  in  1827,  but  the  inscription  upon  it,  which  was  in 
Latin,  but  mutilated,  proved  that  it  related  to  the  period  of  the  French 
supremacy  in  the  Canadas.  It  appeared  to  have  been  originally  deposited 
at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Venango,  A.  D.  1749,  during  the  reign  of 
Louis  XV. 

While  at  Marietta,  our  flotilla  was  increased  by  another  ark  from  the 
Muskingum,  which  brought  to  my  acquaintance  the  Hon.  Jesse  B.  Thomas, 
of  Illinois,  to  whose  civilities  I  was  afterwards  indebted,  on  several  occa 
sions.  Thus  reinforced,  we  proceeded  on,  delighted  with  the  scenery  of 
every  new  turn  in  the  river,  and  augmenting  our  circle  of  fellow  travellers, 
and  table  acquaintance,  if  that  can  be  called  a  table  acquaintance  which 
assembles  around  a  rustic  board.  One  night  an  accident  befel  us,  which 
threatened  the  entire  loss  of  one  of  our  flotilla.  It  so  happened,  at  the 
spot  of  our  landing,  that  the  smaller  ark,  being  outside,  was  pressed  by  the 
larger  ones,  so  far  ashore,  as  to  tilt  the  opposite  side  into  the  stream  below 
the  caulked  seam  It  would  have  sunk,  in  a  few  minutes,  but  was  held 
up,  partly  by  its  fastening  to  the  other  boats.  'To  add  to  the  interest  felt, 
it  was  filled  with  valuable  machinery.  A  congress  of  the  whole  travelling 
community  assembled  on  shore,  some  pitching  pebble-stones,  and  some 
taking  a  deeper  interest  in  the  fate  of  the  boat.  One  or  two  unsuccessful 
efforts  had  been  made  to  bail  it  out,  but  the  water  flowed  in  faster  than 
it  could  be  removed.  To  cut  loose  the  rope  and  abandon  it,  seemed  all 
that  remained.  "  I  feel  satisfied,"  said  I,  "  to  my  Massachusetts  friend, 
that  two  men,  bailing  with  might  and  main,  can  throw  out  more  water, 
in  a  given  time,  than  is  let  in  by  those  seams ;  and  if  you  will  step  in 
with  me,  we  will  test  it,  by  trying  again."  With  a  full  assent  and  ready 
good  will  he  met  this  proposition.  We  pulled  off  our  coats,  and  each 
taking  a  pail,  stepped  in  the  water,  then  half-leg  deep  in  the  ark,  and 
began  to  bail  away,  with  all  force.  By  dint  of  determination  we  soon 
had  the  satisfaction  to  see  the  wnter  line  lower,  and  catching  new  spirit 
at  this,  we  finally  succeeded  in  sinking  its  level  below  the  caulked  seam. 
The  point  was  won.  Others  now  stepped  in  tp  our  relief.  The  ark 
and  its  machinery  were  saved.  This  little  incident  was  one  of  those 
which  served  to  produce  pleafsurable  sensations,  all  round,  and  led  per 


16  PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES. 

haps,  to  some  civilities  at  a  subsequent  date,  which  were  valuable  to  me. 
At  any  rate,  Mr.  Thomas,  who  owned  the  ark,  was  so  well  pleased,  that 
he  ordered  a  warm  breakfast  of  toast,  chickens,  and  coffee  on  shore 
for  the  whole  party.  This  was  a  welcome  substitute  for  our  ordinary 
breakfast  of  bacon  and  tea  on  board.  Such  little  incidents  serve  as  new 
points  of  encouragement  to  travellers:  the  very  shores  of  the  river 
looked  more  delightful,  after  we  put  out,  and  went  on  our  way  that  morn 
ing.  So  much  has  a  satisfied  appetite  to  do  with  the  aspect  of  things, 
both  without,  as  well  as  within  doors. 

The  month  of  April  had  now  fairly  opened.  The  season  was  delight 
ful.  Every  rural  sound  was  joyful — every  sight  novel,  and  a  thousand 
circumstances  united  to  make  the  voyage  one  of  deep  and  unmixed 
interest.  At  this  early  season  nothing  in  the  vegetable  kingdom  gives 
a  more  striking  and  pleasing  character  to  the  forest,  than  the  frequent 
occurrence  of  the  celtis  ohioensis,  or  Red  Bud.  It  presents  a  perfect 
bouquet  o,f  red,  or  rose-coloured  petals,  while  there  is  not  a  leaf  exfoliated 
upon  its  branches,  or  in  the  entire  forest. 

No  incident,  further  threatening  the  well  being  of  our  party,  occurred 
on  the  descent  to  Cincinnatti,  where  we  landed  in  safety.  But  long  before 
we  reached  this  city,  its  outliers,  to  use  a  geological  phrase,  were  encoun 
tered,  in  long  lines  arid  rafts  of  boards  and  pine  timber,  from  the  sources 
of  the  Alleghany,  and  arks  and  flat-boats,  from  all  imaginable  places, 
with  all  imaginable  names,  north  of  its  latitude.  Next,  steamboats  lying 
along  the  gravel  or  clay  banks,  then  a  steam-mill  or  two,  puffing  up 
its  expended  strength  to  the  clouds,  and  finally,  the  dense  mass  of  brick 
and  wooden  buildings,  jutting  down  in  rectangular  streets — from  high 
and  exceedingly  beautiful  and  commanding  hills  in  the  rear.  All  was 
suited  to  realize  high  expectations.  Here  was  a  city  indeed,  on  the  very 
spot  from  which  St.  Clair  set  out,  on  his  ill-fated  expedition  in  1791, 
against  the  hostile  Indians.  Twenty-five  years  had  served  to  transform 
the  wilderness  into  scenes  of  cultivation  and  elegance,  realizing,  with  no 
faint  outlines,  the  gay  creations  of  eastern  fable. 


NO.  III. 


CINCINNATI  had,  at  this  time,  (1818,)  the  appearance  of  a  rapidly  grow 
ing  city,  which  appeared  to  have,  from  some  general  causes,  been  suddenly 
checked  in  its  growth.  Whole  rows  of  unfinished  brick  buildings  had 
been  leA  by  the  workmen.  Banks,  and  the  offices  of  corporate  and  manu 
facturing  companies,  were  not  unfrequently  found  shut.  Nor  did  it  re- 
qniie  long  looking  or  much  inquiry  to  learn  that  it  had  seen  more  pros 
perous  times.  A  branch  bank  of  the  U.  S.  then  recently  established  there, 
was  much  and  bitterly,  but  I  know  not  how  justly,  spoken  against.  But  if 
there  was  not  the  same  life  and  air  in  all  departments,  that  formerly  ex 
isted,  there  was  abundant  evidence  of  the  existence  of  resources  in  the  city 
and  country,  which. must  revive  and  push  it  onward  in  its  career  and 
growth,  to  rank  second  to  no  city  west  of  the  Alleghanies.  This  city  owes 
its  origin,  I  believe,  to  John  Cleves  Symes,  father-in-law  of  the  late  Presi 
dent  Harrison,  a  Jerseyman  by  birth,  who,  in  planning  it,  took  Philadel 
phia  as  his  model.  This  has  imparted  a  regularity  to  its  streets,  and 
squares,  that  visitors  will  at  once  recognize,  as  characteristic  of  its  paren 
tage.  It  stands  on  a  heavy  diluvial  formation  of  various  layers  of  clay, 
loam,  s:ind,  and  gravel,  disposed  in  two  great  plateaux,  or  first  and  second 
bar>ks,  the  lowest  of  which  is  some  thirty  or  forty  feet  above  the  common 
summer  level  of  the  Ohio.  Yet  this  river  has  sometimes,  but  rarely,  been 
known  to  surmount  this  barrier  and  invade  the  lowermost  streets  of  the 
city.  These  diluvial  beds  have  yielded  some  curious  antiquarian  relics, 
which  lead  the  mind  farther  back,  for  their  origin,  than  the  Indian  race. 
The  most  curious  of  these,  if  the  facts  are  correcily  reported  to  me,  was 
the  discovery  of  a  small  antique-shaped  iron  horse-shoe,  found  t\venty-five 
feet  below  the  surface  in  grading  one  of  the  streets,  and  the  blunt  end, 
or  stump  of  a  tree,  at  another  locality,  at  the  depth  of  ninety-four  feet,  to 
gether  with  marks  of  'the  cut  of  an  axe,  and  an  iron  wedge.  I  have 
had  no  means  to  verify  these  facts,  but  state  them  as  credible,  from  the  cor 
roborative  testimony  afforded  them  by  other  discoveries  in  the  great  geolo 
gical  basin  of  the  west,  examined  by  me,  which  denote  human  occupancy 
m  America  prior  to  the  deposition  of  the  last  of  the  unconsolidated  and 
eocene  series. 

Our  flotilla  here  broke  up,  and  the  persons  who  had  formed  its  floating 

2  17 


18  PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES. 

community  separated,  each  to  pursue  his  several  way,  and  separate  views. 
I  made  several  acquaintances,  whose  names  are  recollected  with  pleasure. 
Dr.  S.  invited  me  to  dine  with  him,  introduced  me  to  his  young-  partner, 
Dr.  Moorhead,  and  put  me  in  the  way  of  obtaining  eligible  private  lodg 
ings.  The  three  weeks  I  spent  in  this  city  were  agreeably  passed,  varied 
as  they  were,  by  short  excursions  in  the  vicinity,  including  the  Licking 
valley — a  stream  which  comes  in,  on  the  Kentucky  side,  directly  opposite 
the  city.  I  went,  one  day,  to  see  an  experimental  structure,  built  at  the 
foot  of  the  Walnut  hills,  with  a  very  long  pipe,  or  wooden  chamber  lead 
ing  up  their  sides,  and  rising  above  their  tops.  This  was  constructed  by 
an  ingenious  person,  at  the  expense  of  the  late  Gen.  Lyttle,  under  the  con 
fident  hope  of  his  realizing  a  practical  mechanical  power  from  the  rari- 
faction  of  atmospheric  air.  There  was  confessedly  a  powsr,  but  the  diffi 
culty  was  in  multiplying  this  power,  so  as  to  render  it  practically  appli 
cable  to  the  turning  of  machinery.  The  ratio  of  its  increase,  contended  for, 
namely,  the  length  of  the  pipe,  appeared  to  me  to  be  wholly  fallacious,  and 
the  result  proved  it  so.  The  thing  was  afterwards  abandoned.  There 
was  an  ancient  mound  here,  which  had  not  then  been  opened,  but  which 
has  since  yielded  a  curious  ornamented  stone,  bearing  a  kind  of  arabesque 
figures,  not  dissimilar,  in  the  style  of  drawing,  to  some  of  the  rude  sculp 
tured  figures  of  Yucatan,  as  recently  brought  to  light  by  Mr.  Stephens 
and  Mr.  Catherwood. 

I  received,  one  day,  a  note  from  one  of  the  directors  of  the  White  Lead 
Works,  above  the  city,  requesting  me  to  visit  it,  and  inspect  in  detail  the 
processes  of  the  manufacture.  The  latter  I  found  to  be  defective  in  the 
mode  of  corroding  the  lead  by  the  acetic  acid  ;  there  was  also  an  unneces 
sary  complication  and  amount  of  machinery  in  bringing  the  oxide  into 
the  condition  of  a  good  pigment,  and  putting  it  into  kegs,  which  had  been 
very  onerous  in  its  cost,  and  was  perpetually  liable  to  get  out  of  order. 

It  was  during  my  stay  here  that  I  first  felt  the  effects  of  the  western 
limestone  waters  hi  deranging  the  stomach  and  bowels,  and  paid  for  my 
initiation  into  the  habit,  as  all  strangers  must,  by  some  days  confinement. 
Dr.  M.  brought  me  about,  and  checked  the  disease,  without  any  perma 
nently  injurious  effects  on  my  general  health. 

When  I  was  ready  to  proceed  down  the  river,  I  went  to  seek  a  passage 
along  the  landing,  but  found  no  boat  (steamboats  were  few  and  far  be 
tween  in  those  days.)  While  pacing  the  beach,  I  met  a  man  of  gentle 
manly  appearance,  who  had  experienced  the  same  disappointment,  and 
was  desirous  to  go  forward  in  his  journey.  He  told  me,  that  he  had 
found  a  small  row  boat,  well  built,  and  fitted  with  seats,  which  could  be  pur 
chased  for  a  reasonable  sum ;  that  it  would  hold  our  baggage  very  well, 
and  he  thought  we  could  make  a  pleasant  trip  in  it  as  far  as  Louisville  at 
the  Falls,  where  the  means  of  communication  by  steamboats  were  ample! 
On  examining  the  boat,  and  a  little  inquiry,  I  acceded  to  this  proposition, 


PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES.  19 

And  I  had  no  cause  to  regret  it.  This  gentleman,  whose  name  I  have  for 
gotten,  but  which  is  somewhere  among  my  papers,  was  a  native  of  the 
city  of  Nancy,  but  a  resident  of  Baltimore.  He  was,  like  the  city  itself 
I  believe,  Franco-German,  speaking  the  two  languages  very  well,  and  the 
English  with  peculiarities.  He  had  a  benevolent  and  honest  countenance 
and  social,  agreeable  manners,  not  two  free,  nor  stiffly  reserved  ;  and  we 
performed  the  trip  without  accident,  although  we  had  a  narrow  escape  one 
day  from  a  sawyer,  one  of  that  insidious  cast  of  these  river  pests,  called  in 
western  parlance,  a  sleeping  sawyer.  It  was  now  the  month  of  May  ;  the 
atmosphere  was  mild  and  balmy,  loaded  with  the  perfumes  of  opening 
vegetation  ;  we  took  the  oars  and  the  helm  alternately ;  we  had  a  constant 
succession  of  pretty  views  ;  we  put  ashore  to  eat  and  to  sleep,  and  the  whole 
trip,  which  occupied  some  three  or  four  days  at  the  farthest,  was  perfectly 
delightful. 

We  put  ashore  at  Vevay,  where  the  Swiss  had  then  newly  introduced 
the  cultivation  of  the  vine,  to  see  the  vineyards  and  the  mode  of  cultivation, 
I  have  since  witnessed  this  culture  on  the  banks  of  the  Rhine,  and  found 
it  to  be  very  similar.  The  vines  are  closely  pruned  and  kept  from  becoming 
woody,  and  are  trained  to  slender  sticks,  which,  are  arranged  with  the 
order  of  a  garden  bean-bed,  which  at  the  proper  season,  they  much  re 
semble.  We  also  tasted  the  wine,  and  found  it  poor. 

On  the  last  day  of  the  voyage,  \ve  took  into  our  boat  a  young  physician 
— a  Hollander,  recently  arrived  in  the  country,  telling  him,  that  by  way 
of  equivalent,  we  should  expect  him  to  take  his  turn  at  the  oars.  He  was 
a  man  of  small  stature — well  formed,  rather  slovenly,  yet  pretty  well 
dressed,  with  blue  eyes,  a  florid  face,  and  very  voluble.  Of  all  that  he 
said,  however,  by  far  the  most  striking  part,  was  his  account  of  his  skill 
in  curing  cancer.  It  was  clear  that  he  was  an  itinerating  cancer-doctor. 
He  said,  amid  other  things,  that  he  had  received  an  invitation  to  go  and 
cure  the  Governor  of  Indiana.  We  now  had  Indiana  on  our  right  hand, 
and  Kentucky  on  our  left. 

These  are  the  principal  incidents  of  the  trip.  We  reached  our  destina 
tion  in  safety,  and  landed  on  the  superb  natural  sylvan  wall,  or  park, 
wrhich  is  formed  by  the  entrance  of  Beargrass  Creek  with  the  Ohio,  just 
in  front  of,  or  a  little  above,  Louisville.  Here  we  sold  our  boat,  took 
separate  lodgings,  and  parted.  I  found  in  a  day  or  two,  that  my  friend 
from  Nancy  had  a  flourishing  school  for  military  tactics  and  the  sword 
exercise,  where,  at  his  invitation,  I  went  to  visit  him.  From  this  man,  I 
learned,  as  we  descended  the  Ohio,  that  the  right  and  left  banks  of  a  river, 
in  military  science,  are  determined  by  the  supposed  position  of  a  man 
standing  at  its  head,  and  looking  downwards. 

I  found  in  the  lime-stone  rocks  which  form  the  bed  of  the  river  between 
the  town  and  Corn  Island,  the  cornu  arnmonis  and  some  other  species  of 
organic  remains ;  and  while  I  remained  here,  which  was  several  weeks, 


20  PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES. 

I  wrote  a  notice  for  one  of  the  papers,  of  a  locality  of  manganese  on  Sandy 
river,  Ky.,  and  others  of  some  other  objects  of  natural  history  in  the 
\y_est,  which  I  perceived,  by  their  being  copied  at  the  eastward,  were  well 
taken.  It  was  my  theory,  that  there  was  a  general  interest  felt  in  the 
Atlantic  States  for  information  from  the  west,  and  this  slight  incident  served 
to  encourage  me. 

The  steamboat  canal  since  constructed  around  the  falls  at  this  place,  was 
then  a  project  only  spoken  of,  and  is  here  alluded  to  for  no  higher  purpose 
than  to  mention,  that  in  its  actual  subsequent  execution,  we  are  informed 
the  workmen  came,  at  the  depth  of  fourteen  feet  below  the  surface  of  the 
calcareous  rock,  to  a  brick  hearth,  covered  with  what  appeared  to  be  the 
remains  of  charcoal  and  ashes. 

I  took  walks  almost  daily,  on  the  fine  promenade,  shaded  with  lofty 
trees,  festooned  with  their  native  vines,  along  the  Beargrass  Creek,  which 
is  the  common  place  of  landing  for  arks  and  boats.  On  one  of  these  oc 
casions,  there  came  in  a  large  ark,  which  had  been  freighted  at  Perryo- 
polis,  on  the  Yioughagany,  some  thirty  miles  from  Pittsburgh.  The  two 
proprietors  were  K.  and  K.,  Marylan.ders,  both  young  men,  or  verging  to 
middle  life,  who  had  clubbed  together  the  necessary  funds,  and  in  the  spirit 
of  adventure,  resolved  on  a  trading  voyage.  There  was  something  in  the 
air  and  manners  of  both,  which  1  thought  I  could  trust  in  for  an  agree 
able  voyage,  especially  as  they  saw  in  me,  not  a  rival  in  commerce  of  any 
kind,  but  a  mere  observer, — a  character  which  I  found,  on  more  than  one 
occasion,  placed  me  on  grounds  of  neutrality  and  advantage.  Steamboats 
are  the  worst  vehicles  ever  invented  by  the  ingenuity  of  man  to  make  ob 
servations  on  a  country,  always  excepting  the  last  improvement  on  loco 
motive  rail-roads.  To  a  naturalist,  especially,  they  are  really  horrible. 
.Not  a  tree  or  plant  can  be  examined  ;  not  a  shell,  or  a  rock  certainly  iden 
tified.  Hundreds  of  miles- are  passed  in  a  few  hours  ;  the  effect  of  speed 
is  to  annihilate  space;  town  succeeds  town,  and  object  object,  with  such 
rapidity,  that  there  is  no  distinct  time  left  for  observation  or  reflection  ;  and 
after  the  voyager  has  reached  his  point  of  destination,  he  is  often  seriously 
in  doubt,  what  he  has  seen,  and  what  he  has  not  seen,  and  is  as  much  puz 
zled  to  put  together  the  exact  feature  of  the  country's  geography,  as  if  he 
were  called  to  re-adjust  the  broken  incidents  of  a  night's  dream.  I  had 
yet  another  objection  to  this  class  of  boats,  at  the  era  mentioned.  Their 
boilers  and  machinery  were  not  constructed  with  elaborate  skill  and 
strength  :  their  commanders  were  often  intemperate,  and  a  spirit  of  reckless 
rivalry  existed,  whose  results  were  not  infrequently  exhibited  in  exploded, 
sunk,  or  grounds:!  boats,  and  the  loss  of  lives. 

It  is  a  regulation  of  law  that  pilots  are  provided  for  all  boats,  ^lescend  ing 
the  falls — a  descent,  by  the  way,  which  can  only  be  made  on  the  Indiana 
side.  When  this  officer  came  on  board,  the  owners  thought  best  to  go  by 
land  to  Shippingport.  I  had  less  at  stake  in  its  safety  than  they,  yet  felt  n 


PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES.  21 

desire  to  witness  this  novel  mode  of  descent;  nor  did  the  result  disappoint 
me.  Standing  on  the  deck,  or  rather  flat  roof  of  the  ark,  the  view  was 
interesting  and  exciting.  The  first  point  at  which  the  mass  of  water 
breaks  was  the  principal  point  of  danger,  as  there  is  here  a  powerful  're 
flux,  or  eddy  current,  on  the  right  hand,  while  the  main  velocity  of  the 
current  drives  the  vessel  in  a  direction  which,  if  not  checked  by  the  large 
sweeps,  would  inevitably  swamp  it.  The  object  is  to  give  this  check,  and 
shoot  her  into  the  eddy  water.  This  was  done.  The  excitement  ceased 
in  a  few  moments,  and  we  passed  the  rest  of  the  way  with  less  exertion 
to  the  men,  and  got  down  the  remainder  cf  the  fulls  in  perfect  safety.  Ail 
this  danger  to  the  growing  commerce  of  the  west,  is  now  remedied  by  the 
Louisviiie  canal,  which,  by  a  work  of  but  two  miles  in  length,  which  holds 
the  relative  position  of  a  string  to  the  bow,  connects  the  navigable  waters 
above  and  below  those  falls,  and  permits  all  river  craft  of  the  largest  bur 
den  to  pass. 

It  was  about  the  falls  of  the  Ohio,  or  a  little  above,  that  I  first  saw  the 
gay  and  noisy  paroquet,  or  little  parrot  of  the  west ;  a  gregarious  bird, 
whose  showy  green  and  yellow  plumage  makes  it  quite  an  object  to  be 
noticed  and  remembered  in  a  passage  on  the  lower  Ohio.  One  of  these 
birds,  which  had  been  wounded,  was  picked  up  out  of  the  river,  a  few 
miles  below  the  falls.  It  was  evident,  from  the  occurrence  of  this  species, 
and  other  features  in  the  natural  history  of  the  country,  that  we  were  now 
making  a  rapid  southing.  The  red-bud,  the  papaw,  the  buckeye,  and  the 
cucumber  tree,  had  all  introduced  themselves  to  notice,  among  the  forest 
species,  below  Pittsburgh  ;  although  they  are  all,  I  think,  actually  known 
to  extend  a  little  north  of  that  latitude;  and  we  now  soon  had  added  to  the 
catalogue,  the  pecan  and  cypress,  and  the  cane,  with  the  constant  attendant 
of  the  latter,  the  green  briar.  I  had  no  opportunity  to  examine  the  pecan, 
until  we  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash  and  Shawneetown,  where  I 
went  on  a  shooting  excursion  with  a  young  Kentuckian,  who  gave  me 
the  first  practical  exhibition  of  bringing  down  single  pigeons  and  other 
small  game  with  the  rifle,  by  generally  striking  the  head  or  neck  only. 
I  had  heard  of  this  kind  of  shooting  before,  and  witnessed  'some  capital 
still  shots,  but  here  was  a  demonstration  of  it,  in  brush  and  brier — catching 
a  sight  as  best  one  could.  The  ball  used  on  these  occasions  was  about 
the  size  of  a  large  buckshot. 

Shawneetown  is  a  word  which  brings  to  mind  one  of  the  North  Ame 
rican  tribes,  who,  between  1632  and  the  present  time,  figure  as  one  of  the 
frontier  actors  in  our  history.  They  have,  in  this  time,  with  the  ubiquity 
of  one  of  their  own  genii,  skipped  over  half  America.  They  were  once,  cer 
tainly  dwellers  on  the  Savannah,  if  not,  at  a  still  earlier  day,  on  the  Suanee,  in 
Florida ;  then  fled  north,  a  part  coming  down  the  Kentucky  river,  and  a 
part  fleeing  to  the  Delaware,  and  thence  west.  They  are  now  on  the 
Konga,  west  of  the  Missouri.  So  much  for  the  association  of  names. 


22  PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES. 

History  never  remembers  any  thing  which  she  can  possibly  forget,  and  I 
found  at  least,  one  high-feeling  personage  here,  who  did  not  like  the  man 
ner  in  which  I  associated  the  modern  town  with  reminiscences  of  the 
savages.  u  Why,  sir,"  said  he,  as  we  walked  the  deck  of  the  ark,  floating 
down  the  Ohio,  and  getting  nearer  the  place  every  moment.  "  we  have  a 
bank  there,  and  a  court  house  ;  it  is  the  seat  of  justice  for  Gallatin  county ; 
— and  a  printing  press  is  about  to  be  established  ; — it  is  a  very  thriving 
place,  and  it  bids  fair  to  remain  second  to  non-e  below  the  Wabash."  "  All 
this,  truly,"  I  responded,  willing  to  reprove  pride  in  an  easy  way,  "  is  a  great 
improvement  on  the  wigwam  and  the  council-fire,  and  wampum  coin-beads." 
It  is  sometimes  better  to  smile  than  argue,  and  I  found  it  so  on  the  present 
occasion.  I  did  not  wish  to  tread  on  the  toes  of  rising  greatness,  or  pour 
upon  a  love  of  home  and  locality,  honorable  and  praise-worthy  in  my 
fellow  traveller,  the  chilling  influence  of  cold  historical  facts.  My  allu 
sions  were  the  mere  effect  of  the  association  of  ideas,  resulting  from 
names.  If  the  residents  of  Shawne^'vn  do  not  like  to  be  associated  with 
the  native  race,  who  would  not  have  exchanged  a  good  bow  arid  arrows 
for  all  the  court  houses  in  Christendom,  they  should  bestow  upon  the 
place  some  epithet  which  may  sever  the  tie- 


NO.  IV. 


After  stopping  a  day  or  more  at  Shawneetown,  and  reconnoitenng  ita 
ricinity,  I  proceeded  to  the  mouth  of  the  Cumberland,  and  from  thence, 
after  many  days  detention  at  that  point  waiting  for  a  boat,  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Ohio.  I  found  this  to  be  a  highly  interesting  section  of  the  river,  from 
its  great  expanse  and  its  fine  water  prospects.  The  picturesque  calcareous 
cliffs  on  the  west  banks,  display  a  novel  and  attractive  line  of  river  scenery. 
The  Ohio  had,  from  its  commencement,  well  sustained  the  propriety  of  its 
ancient  appellation  of  the  Beautiful  River  ;  but  it  here  assumed  something 
more  than  beautiful — it  was  majestic.  Let  it  be  borne  in  mind  that  this 
stream,  in  the  course  of  some  seven  or  eight  hundred  miles  flow  from 
Pittsburg  to  Shawneetown,  had  been  swelled  on  the  right  and  left  hand  by 
the  Scioto,  the  Muskingum,  the  Kentucky,  the  Miami,  Green  River,  Wa- 
bash,  and  other  rivers  of  scarcely  inferior  size.  It  is  still  further  aug 
mented,  from  the  left  bank,  with  those  noble  tributaries,  the  Cumberland 
and  Tennessee,  which  bring  in  the  gathered  drain  of  the  middle  ranges 
of  the  Alleghanies.  It  is  below  Shawneetown,  too,  that  the  cliffs  of  the 
Cave-in-Rock-Coast  present  themselves  on  the  west  shore — with  their  as 
sociations  of  the  early  robber-era  which  has  been  commemorated  by  the 
pen  of  fiction  of  Charles  Brockden  Brown.  These  cliffs  are  cavernous, 
and  assume  varied  forms.  They  rise  in  bold  elevations,  which  bear  the 
general  name  of  the  Knobs,  but  which  are  well  worthy  of  the  name  of  moun 
tains.  Distinct  from  the  interest  they  have  by  casting  their  castle-like 
shadows,  at  sunset,  in  the  pure  broad  stream,  they  constitute  a  kind 
of  Derbyshire  in  their  fine  purple  spars,  and  crystalized  galena  and  other 
mineralogical  attractions.  I  was  told  that  a  German  of  the  name  of  Storch. 
who  pretended  to  orccult  knowledge,  had,  years  before,  led  money  and 
mineral  diggers  about  these  Knobs,  and  that  he  was  the  discoverer  of  the 
fine  fluates  of  lime  found  here. 

One  can  hardly  pass  these  broken  eminences,  with  the  knowledge  that 
they  tally  in  their  calcareous  structure  and  position  with  the  rock  forma 
tion  of  the  Missouri  state  border,  lying  immediately  west  of  them,  without 
regarding  them  as  the  apparent  monuments  of  some  ancient  geological 
change,  which  affected  a  very  wide  space  of  country  north  of  their  posi 
tion,  A  barrier  of  this  nature,  which  should  Jink  the  Tennessee  and  Mis- 

93 


24  PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES. 

souri  coasts,  at  Grand  Tower,  would  have  converted  into  an  inland  sea 
the  principal  area  of  the  present  states  of  Illinois,  Indiana,  and  Southern 
Ohio.  The  line  of  separation  in  this  latitude  is  not  great.  It  constitutes 
the  narrowest  point  between  the  opposing  rock  formations  of  the  east  and 
west  shores,  so  far  as  the  latter  rise  through  and  above  the  soil. 

I  was  still  in  a  floating  Monongahela  ark  as  we  approached  this  coast 
of  cliffs.  The  day  was  one  of  the  mildest  of  the  month  of  June,  and  the 
surface  of  the  water  was  so  still  and  calm  that  it  presented  the  appearance 
of  a  perfect  mirror.  Our  captain  ordered  alongside  the  skiff,  which  served 
as  his  jolly  boat,  and  directed  the  men  to  land  me  at  the  Great  Cave.  Its 
wide  and  yawning  mouth  gave  expectations,  however,  which  were  not 
realized.  It  closes  rapidly  as  it  is  pursued  into  the  rock,  and  never  could 
have  afforded  a  safe  shelter  for  gangs  of  robbers  whose  haunts  were 
known.  Tradition  states,  on  this  point,  that  its  mouth  was  formerly  closed 
and  hid  by  trees  and  foliage,  by  which  means  the  unsuspecting  voyagers 
with  their  upward  freight  were  waylaid.  We  overtook  the  slowly  float 
ing  ark  before  it  had  reached  Hurricane- Island,  arid  the  next  land  we 
made  was  at  Smithfield,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Cumberland.  While  here, 
several  discharged  Tennessee  militiamen,  or  volunteers  from  the  still  un 
finished  Indian  war  in  the  south,  landed  on  their  way  home.  They  were 
equipped  after  the  fashion  of  western  hunters,  Avith  hunting  shirts  and 
rifles,  and  took  a  manifest  pride  in  declaring  that  they  had  fought  under 
"  old  Hickory" — a  term  which  has,  since  that  era,  become  familiar  to  the 
civilized  world.  I  here  first  saw  that  singular  excrescence  in  the  vegeta 
ble  kingdom  called  cypress  knees.  The  point  of  land  between  the 
mouth  of  the  Cumberland  and  Ohio,  was  a  noted  locality  of  the  cypress 
tree.  This  tree  puts  up  from  its  roots  a  blunt  cone,  of  various  size  and 
height,  which  resembles  a  sugar  loaf.  It  is  smooth,  and  without  limb  or 
foliage.  An  ordinary  cone  or  knee  would  measure  eight  inches  in  diam 
eter,  and  thirty  inches  high.  It  would  seem  like  an  abortive  effort  of  the 
tree  to  put  up  another  growth.  The  paroquet  was  exceedingly  abundant 
at  this  place,  along  the  shores,  and  in  the  woods.  They  told  me  that  this 
bird  rested  by  hooking  its  upper  mandible  to  a  limb.  I  made  several 
shooting  excursions  into  the  neighbouring  forests,  and  remember  that  1 
claimed,  in  addition  to  smaller  trophies  of  these  daily  rambles,  a  shrike 
and  a  hystrix. 

At  length  a  keel  boat  came  in  from  the  Illinois  Saline,  commanded  by 
a  Captain  Ensminger — an  Americo-German — a  bold,  frank  man,  very 
intelligent  of  things  relating  to  river  navigation.  With  him  I  took  passage 
for  St.  Louis,  in  Missouri,  and  we  were  soon  under  weigh,  by  the  force 
of  oars,  for  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio.  We  stopped  a  short  time  at  a  new 
hamlet  on  the  Illinois  shore,  which  had  been  laid  out  by  some  speculators 
of  Cincinnati,  but  was  remarkable  for  nothing  but  its  name.  It  was 
called,  by  a  kind  of  bathos  in  nomenclature,  "  America."  I  observed  on 


PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES.  25 

the  shores  of  the  river  at  this  place,  a  very  recent  formation  of  pudding- 
stone,  or  rather  a  local  stratum  of  indurated  pebbles  and  clay,  in  which 
the  cementing  ingredient  was  the  oxyde  of  iron.  Chalybeate  waters  per 
colated  over  and  amongst  this  mass.  This  was  the  last  glimpse  of  consol 
idated  matter.  All  below,  and  indeed  far  above,  was  alluvial,  or  of  recent 
origin.  Nothing  could  exceed  the  fertile  character  of  the  soil,  or  its  rank 
vegetation  and  forest  growth,  as  we  approached  the  point  of  junction ;  but 
it  was  a  region  subject  to  periodical  overflows,  the  eras  of  which  were  very 
distinctly  marked  by  tufts  and  bunches  of  grass,  limbs,  and  other  floating 
matter  which  had  been  lodged  and  left  in  the  forks  and  branches  of  trees, 
now  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  above  our  heads.  It  was  now  the  first  day  of 
July,  and  I  felt  the  most  intense  interest  as  we  approached  and  came  to  the 
point  of  confluence.  I  had  followed  the  Ohio,  in  all  its  sinuosities,  a  thou 
sand  miles.  I  had  spent  more  than  three  months  in  its  beautiful  and  va 
ried  valley  ;  and  I  had  something  of  the  attachment  of  an  old  friend  for  its 
noble  volume,  and  did  not  well  like  to  see  it  about  to  be  lost  in  the  mighty 
Mississippi.  Broad  and  ample  as  it  was,  however,  bringing  in  the  whole 
congregated  drain  of  the  western  slopes  of  the  Alleghanies  and  the  table 
lands  of  the  Great  Lakes,  the  contest  was  soon  decided.  The  stream  had, 
at  that  season,  sunk  down  to  its  summer  level,  and  exhibited  a  transparent 
blue  volume.  The  Mississippi,  on  the  contrary,  was  swelled  by  the  melt 
ing  snows  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  was  in  its  vernal  flood.  Corning 
in  at  rather  an  acute  angle,  it  does  not  immediately  arrest  the  former,  but 
throws  its  waters  along  the  Tennessee  shores.  It  runs  with  prodigious 
velocity.  Its  waters  are  thick,  turbid,  and  replete  with  mingled  and  float 
ing  masses  of  sand  and  other  comminuted  rock  and  floating  vegetation, 
trees,  and  rubbish.  For  miles  the  line  of  separation  between  the  Ohio  and 
Mississippi  waters  was  visible  by  its  colour  ;  but  long  before  it  reaches  the 
Iron  Banks,  the  modern  site  of  Memphis — the  Father  of  Waters,  as  it 
is  poetically,  not  literally,  called — had  prevailed,  and  held  on  its  way  to 
make  new  conquests  of  the  St.  Francis,  the  White,  the  Arkansas,  and 
other  noble  streams. 

Our  captain,  although  he  had  no  lack  of  self-confidence,  did  not  seem  to 
be  in  haste  to  grapple  with  this  new  foe,  by  plunging  at  once  into  the  tur 
bid  stream,  but  determined  to  try  it  next  morning.  This  left  me,  a  good 
part  of  the  day,  in  a  position  where  there  was  not  much  to  reward  inquiry. 
I  fished  awhile  from  the  boat's  side,  but  was  rewarded  with  nothing 
besides  a  gar,  a  kind  of  sword,  or  rather  billed  fish,  which  appears  to  be 
provided  with  this  appendage  to  stir  up  its  food  or  prey  from  a  muddy 
bottom.  Its  scales  and  skin  are  nearly  as  hard  and  compact  as  a  shark's, 
and  its  flesh  is  equally  valueless.  It  is  at  this  point  that  the  town  of  Cairo 
has  since  been  located.  There  were,  at  the  period  mentioned,  several 
arks  and  flat-boats  lying  on  the  higher  banks,  where  they  had  been  moored 
in  high  water.  These  now  served  as  dwellings,  and  by  cutting  doors  in 


26  PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES. 

their  sides  they  formed  rude  groceries  and  provision  stores.  Whatever 
else,  however,  was  to  be  seen  at  so  low  and  nascent  a  point,  the  mosquito, 
as  night  came  on,  soon  convinced  us  that  he  was  the  true  magnate  of  those 
dominions. 

The  next  morning  at  an  early  hour  our  stout-hearted  commander  put 
his  boatmen  in  motion,  and  turned  his  keel  into  the  torrent ;  but  such  was 
the  velocity  of  the  water,  and  its  opacity  and  thick  turbidness,  that  I 
thought  we  should  have  been  precipitated  down  stream,  and  hurled  against 
sunken  logs.  Those  who  have  ascended  this  stream  in  the  modern  era 
of  steamboats,  know  nothing  of  these  difficulties.  It  seemed  impossible  to 
stem  the  current.  A  new  mode  of  navigation,  to  me  at  least,  was  to  be 
tried,  and  it  was  evidently  one  which  the  best  practised  and  stoutest-hearted 
men  by  no  means  relished.  These  boats  are  furnished  with  a  plank  walk 
on  each  side,  on  which  slats  are  nailed  to  give  a  foothold  to  the  men. 
Each  man  has  a  pole  of  ash  wood  about  16  feet  long,  with  a  wooden  knob 
at  the  head  to  rest  against  the  shoulder,  and  a  blunt  point  at  the  other  end 
shod  with  iron.  Planting  these  upon  the  bottom  near  shore,  with  their 
heads  facing  down  stream,  the  men  bend  all  their  force  upon  them,  pro 
pelling  the  boat  by  their  feet  in  the  contrary  direction.  This  is  a  very 
laborious  and  slow  mode  of  ascent,  which  has  now  been  entirely  super 
seded  on  the  main  rivers  by  the  use  of  steam. 

Such  is  the  fury  and  velocity  of  the  current,  that  it  threatens  at  every 
freshet  to  tear  down  and  burst  asunder  its  banks,  and  run  lawless  through 
the  country.  Often  whole  islands  are  swept  away  in  a  short  time.  We 
had  an  instance  of  this  one  night,  when  the  island  against  which  we  were 
moored,  began  to  tumble  into  the  channel,  threatening  to  overwhelm  us  by 
the  falling  earth  and  the  recoil  of  the  waves,  and  we  got  away  to  the  main 
shore  with  much  effort,  for  night  was  set  in,  the  current  furious,  and  the 
shore  to  which  we  were  going  entirely  unknown.  To  have  struck  a 
sunken  log  on  such  a  traverse,  under  such  circumstances,  must  have  been 
fatal.  We  got  at  length  upon  a  firm  shore,  where  we  moored  and  turned 
in  at  a  late  hour ;  but  a  curious  cause  of  alarm  again  roused  us.  Some 
animal  had  made  its  appearance  on  the  margin  of  the  stream,  not  far  below 
us,  which  in  the  dimness  of  the  night  appeared  to  be  a  bear.  All  who 
had  arms,  got  them,  and  there  was  quite  a  bustle  and  no  little  excitement 
among  the  cabin  passengers.  The  most  knowing  pronounced  it  to  be  a 
white  bear.  It  produced  a  snorting  sound  resembling  it.  It  seemed  furi 
ous.  Both  white  and  furious  it  certainly  was,  but  after  much  delay,  com 
mendable  caution,  and  no  want  of  the  display  of  courage,  it  turned  out  to 
be  a  large  wounded  hog,  which  had  been  shot  in  the  snout  and  head,  and 
came  to  allay  its  fevered  and  festered  flesh,  by  night,  in  the  waters  of  the 
Mississippi. 

To  stem  the  current  along  this  portion  of  the  river  required  almost 
superhuman  power.  Often  not  more  than  a  few  miles  can  be  made  with 


PERSONAL,    REMINISCENCES. 

a  hard  day's  exertions.  We  went  the  first  day  six  miles,  the  second  about 
the  same  distance,  and  the  third  eight  miles,  which  brought  us  to  the  first 
cultivated  land  along  a  low  H {«•*-- V.t  of  the  west  shore,  called  the  Tyewapety 
Bottom.  There  were  six  or  eight  small  farms  at  this  spot ;  the  land  rich, 
and  said  to  be  quite  well  adapted  for  corn,  flax,  hemp,  and  tobacco.  I  ob 
served  here  the  papaw.  The  next  day  we  ascended  but  three  miles  and 
stopped,  the  crew  being  found  too  weak  to  proceed.  While  moored  to  the 
bank,  we  were  passed  by  several  boats  destin~  for  St.  Louis,  which  were 
loaded  with  pine  boards  and  plank  from  Ok  i.  on  the  sources  of  the  Al- 
leghany.  They  told  us  that  sixty  dollars  }>i  t  thousand  feet  could  be  ob 
tained  for  them. 

Additional  men  having  been  hired,  we  went  forward  the  next  day  to  a 
point  which  is  called  the  Little  Chain  of  Rocks,  where,  from  sickness  in 
some  of  the  hands,  another  halt  became  necessary.  It  is  at  this  point  that 
the  firm  cherty  clay,  or  diluvial  soil  of  the  Missouri  shore,  first  presents 
itself  on  the  banks  of  the  river.  This  soil  is  of  a  sterile  and  mineral  cha 
racter.  I  noticed  beneath  the  first  elevated  point  of  it,  near  the  river's  edge, 
a  locality  of  white  compact  earth,  which  is  called  chalk,  and  is  actually 
used  as  such  by  mechanics.  On  giving  a  specimen  of  it,  after  my  return 
to  New  York  in  1819,  to  Mr.  John  Griscom,  he  found  it  completely  desti 
tute  of  carbonic  acid  ;  it  appears  to  be  a  condition  of  alumine  or  nearly 
pure  clay.  Large  masses  of  pudding-stone,  disrupted  from  their  original 
position,  were  seen  lying  along  the  shore  at  this  locality,  being  similar  in 
their  character  to  that  seen  on  approaching  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio. 

We  ascended  the  river  this  day  ten  miles,  and  the  next  five  miles,  whi»h 
brought  us  to  Cape  Girardeau,  at  the  estimated  distance  of  fifty  miles  above 
the  mouth  of  the  Ohio.  At  this  place  I  was  received  with  attention  by  one 
of  the  principal  residents,  who,  on  learning  that  my  object  was  to  examine 
the  natural  history  of  the  country,  invited  me  to  his  house.  In  rambling 
the  vicinity,  they  showed  me  a  somewhat  extra  but  dilapidated  and 
deserted  house,  which  had  been  built  by  one  Loramee,  a  Spanish  trader, 
who  has  left  his  name  on  one  of  the  branches  of  the  river  St.  Mary's  of 
Indiana.  This  old  fabric  excited  a  strong  interest  in  my  mind  as  I  walked 
through  its  open  doors  and  deserted  rooms,  by  a  popular  story,  how  true  I 
know  not,  that  the  occupant  had  been  both  a  rapacious  and  cruel  man, 
siding  with  the  Indians  in  the  hostilities  against  our  western  people  ;  and 
that  he  had.  on  one  occasion,  taken  a  female  captive,  and  with  his  own 
hands  cut  off  her  breasts. 

The  journey  from  Cape  Girardeau  to  St.  Louis  occupied  nineteen  days, 
and  was  fraught  with  scenes  and  incidents  of  interest,  which  I  should  de 
tail  with  pleasure  were  it  compatible  with  my  limits.  Indeed,  every  day's 
voyage  along  this  varied  and  picturesque  shore  presented  objects  of  remark, 
which  both  commended  themselves  to  my  taste,  and  which  the  slow  mode 
of  ascent  gave  me  full  means  to  improve.  This  might  be  said  particularly 


28  PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES. 

of  its  geological  structure  and  its  mineralogical  productions — themes  which 
were  then  fresh  and  new,  but  which  have  lost  much  of  their  attractions  by 
the  progress  which  natural  science  has  made  in  the  country  during  six 
and  twenty  years.  To  these  topics  it  is  the  less  necessary  to  revert,  as 
they  were  embraced  in  the  results  of  my  tour,  given  in  my  "  View  of  the 
Mines?  published  in  1819. 

The  article  improperly  called  pumice,  which  floats  down  the  Missouri 
during  its  floods,  from  the  burning  coal  banks  in  the  Black  Hills,  I  first 
picked  up  on  the  shore  in  the  ascent  above  Cape  Girardeau,  and  it  gave 
me  an  intimation  that  the  waters  had  commenced  falling.  We  came  to, 
the  same  night,  at  a  well  known  fountain,  called  the  Moccasin  Spring,  a 
copious  and  fine  spring  of  crystal  water,  which  issues  from  an  elongated 
orifice  in  the  limestone  rock. 

While  lying  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Obrazo,  where  we  were  detained 
on  account  of  hands,  several  boats  touched  at  the  place,  carrying  emigrants 
from  Vermont  and  New  York,  whose  destination  was  the  most  westerly 
settlements  on  the  Missouri.  At  higher  points  in  the  ascent  we  encoun 
tered  emigrants  from  Maine,  Connecticut,  Pennsylvania,  North  Carolina, 
and  Kentucky,  which  denotes  the  wide  range  of  the  spirit  of  migration  at 
the  era.  The  ends  of  the  Union  seemed  to  be  brought  together  by  this 
general  movement  towards  the  west.  It  was  not  uncommon  to  find  rep 
resentatives  from  a  great  number  of  the  states  in  these  accidental  meetings ; 
they  were  always  of  a  social  and  highly  friendly  character,  and  the  effect 
of  such  a  system  of  intercommunication  and  residence,  from  districts  widely 
separated,  could  not  but  be  highly  auspicious  in  promoting  uniformity  of 
manners  and  opinions,  and  assimilating  customs,  dress,  and  language. 
If  long  continued  it  must  destroy  provincialisms,  and  do  much  to  annihilate 
local  prejudices. 

Every  one  who  has  ascended  this  stream  will  recollect  the  isolated  cliff, 
standing  in  its  waters,  called  Grand  Tower,  with  the  corresponding  de 
velopments  of  the  coast  on  the  contiguous  shores,  which  tell  the  traveller 
plainly  enough  that  here  is  the  site  of  some  ancient  disruptive  process  in 
the  physical  history  of  the  valley.  The  current  has  an  increased  velocity 
in  sweeping  around  this  obstacle ;  and  we  found,  as  the  waters  fell,  that 
there  were  numerous  eddies  and  strong  jets  or  currents  along  this  precipi 
tous  coast,  which  it  required  extra  force  to  surmount.  We  saw  one  day  a 
number  of  pelicans  standing  on  a  sand  bar.  The  wild  turkey  and  quail 
were  daily  encountered  on  shore. 

Our  approach  to  St.  Genevieve  was  preceded  by  a  sight  of  one  of  those 
characteristic  features  in  all  the  early  French  settlements  in  this  quarter — 
the  great  public  field  extending  several  miles,  five  miles  I  think,  along  the 
banks  of  the  river.  St.  Genevieve  itself  lies  about  a  mile  from  the  river, 
and  is  concealed  by  irregularities  in  the  surface.  It  is  a  highly  charac 
teristic  antique  French  town,  and  reminds  one  strongly  of  the  style  and 


PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES.  29 

manner  of  building  of  the  provincial  villages  and  towns  of  the  parent 
country,  as  still  existing.  Three  miles  above  this  place  we  came  to  a  noted 
point  of  crossing  called  the  Little  Rock  Ferry ;  a  spot  worthy  of  note  at 
that  time  as  the  residence  of  a  very  aged  Frenchman,  called  Le  Breton. 
Statements  which  are  believed  to  be  true,  made  him  109  years  old.  From 
his  own  account  he  was  at  the  seige  of  Bergen-op-zoom,  in  Flanders;  at 
the  seige  of  Louisburg;  at  the  building  of  Fort  Chartres,  in  Illinois;  and 
at  Braddock's  defeat.  After  his  discharge,  he  discovered  those  extensive 
lead  mines  in  Washington  county,  about  forty  miles  west  of  the  river, 
which  still  bear  his  name. 

The  coast  between  St.  Genevieve  and  Herculaneum  is  almost  one  con 
tinuous  cliff  of  precipitous  rocks,  which  are  broken  through  chiefly  at  the 
points  where  rivers  and  streams  discharge.  Herculaneum  itself  is  seated 
on  one  of  these  limited  areas,  hemmed  in  by  cliffs,  which,  in  this  case, 
were  rendered  still  more  picturesque  by  their  elevated  shot  towers.  I 
landed  at  this  place  about  noon  of  my  twenty-second  day's  ascent,  and  find 
ing  it  a  convenient  avenue  to  the  mine  district,  determined  to  leave  my 
baggage  at  a  hotel  till  my  return  from  St.  Louis,  and  pursue  the  rest  of  the 
journey  to  that  place  on  foot.  It  was  at  this  point  that  I  was  introduced  to 
Mr.  Austin,  the  elder,  who  warmly  approved  my  plan  of  exploring  the 
mines,  and  offered  every  facility  in  his  power  to  further  it.  Mr.  Austin 
was,  he  informed  me  at  a  subsequent  stage  of  our  acquaintance,  a  native 
of  Connecticut.  He  had  gone  early  into  .Virginia  and  settled  at  Richmond? 
where  his  eldest  son  was  born,  and  afterwards  removed  to  Wythe  county. 
In  1778  he  went  into  Upper  Louisiana,  enduring  severe  sufferings  and 
the  risk  of  life,  in  crossing  the  country  by  way  of  Vincennes  to  St.  Louis, 
"vhere  he  was  well  received  by  the  Spanish  local  governor.  He  obtained 
a  grant  of  land  in  the  present  area  of  Washington  county,  the  principal 
seat  of  the  older  mines.  About  the  time  I  went  to  Missouri,  or  soon  after 
it,  he  resolved  to  visit  San  Antonio,  in  Texas,  with  a  view  of  introducing 
a  colony  of  Americans  into  that  quarter.  This  plan  he  carried  into  execu 
tion,  I  think,  in  1820,  and  returned  with  an  ample  grant;  but  he  did  not 
live  to  carry  its  stipulations  into  effect,  having  died  suddenly  after  his 
return,  at  the  house  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Bryant,  at  Hazel  Run. 

Mr.  Austin  was  a  man  of  oreat  >:e\!  and  fervour  of  imagination,  and  en 
tered  very  warmly  into  all  his  plans  and  views,  whatever  they  were.  He 
was  hospitable,  frank,  intelligent,  and  it  is  with  feelings  of  unmixed  plea 
sure,  that  I  revert  to  my  acquaintance  with  him,  no  less  than  with  his  talented 
son,  Stephen,  and  the  excellent,  benign,  and  lady-like  Mrs.  Austin,  and 
other  members  of  this  intelligent  family. 


NO.  V. 


HERCULANETJM  had  nothing  in  common  with  it?  sombre  Italian  proto 
type,  which  has  been  dug  out  of  dust  and  ashes  in  modern  times,  but  its 
name.  Instead  of  buried  palaces  and  ruins  of  a  luxurious  age  of  marble, 
bronze  and  silver,  most  of  the  houses  were  built  of  squared  oak  logs,  and 
had  bulky  old  fashioned  chimneys,  built  outside  with  a  kind  of  castelated 
air,  as  they  are  seen  in  the  old  French  and  Dutch  settlements  in  Canada, 
and  along  the  vallies  of  the  Hudson  and  Mohawk.  The  arts  of  painting 
and  gilding'  and  cornices,  had  not  yet  extended  their  empire  here.  Mr. 
Austin's  residence,  was  the  only  exception  to  this  remark,  I  remember. 
The  Courts  of  Justice  were  content  to  hold  their  sessions  in  one  of  the 
oaken  timber  buildings  named  ;  the  county  jail  had  a  marvellous  re 
semblance  to  an  ample  smoke-house,  and  my  kind  host,  Ellis,  who  was  a  na 
live  of  South  Carolina,  was  content  to  serve  up  substantial  and  good  cheer 
in  articles,  not  exhumed  from  a  city  buried  in  volcanic  ashes,  but  in  plain 
fabrics  of  Staffordshire  and  Birmingham.  In  addition  to  the  host-like  and 
agreeable  resort,  which  travellers  unexpectedly  found  at  his  hands,  in  a 
mansion  whose  exterior  gave  no  such  signs,  he  presided  over  the  depart 
ment  of  a  public  ferry,  established  at  this  place,  across  the  wild  and  fluc 
tuating  Mississippi ;  and  had  he  kept  note  book,  he  could  have  given 
account  of  many  a  one,  from  other  lands,  with  golden  hopes  of  the  far 
west,  whom  he  had  safely  conducted,  against  the  most  advers-e  floods,  to 
the  Missouri  shore.  I  found  a  few  old  books  at  his  house,  which  showed 
that  there  had  been  readers  in  his  family,  and  which  helped  to  while 
away  moments,  which  every  traveller  will  find  on  his  hands. 

I  have  intimated  that  there  was  nothing  in  the  way  of  the  antique,  in 
Herculaneum,  but  its  name.  To  this  I  might  add,  that  there  was  no  ex 
ception,  unless  it  be  found  in  the  impressions  of  objects,  in  the  structure 
of  the  rocks,  in  this  quarter,  denoting  a  prior  age  of  existence.  I  was 
shown  an  impression,  in  the  surface  of  a  block  of  limestone,  quarried  here, 
which  was  thought  to  resemble  a  man's  foot.  It  did  not  appear  to  me  to 
bear  this  similitude,  but  was  rather  to  be  referred  to  some  organic  extinct 
forms,  which  are  not  yet  well  understood. 

Having  passed  a  couple  of  days  here,  I  set  out  early  one  moining, 

30 


PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES.  31 

on  foot,  for  St.  Louis,  accompanied  by  two  young  men  from  Pennsj'lvania, 
with  whom  I  had  become  acquainted  on  prior  parts  of  my  route.  They 
had  come  with  an  adventure  of  merchandize  from  the  waters  of  the 
Yioughagany,  and  were  desirous  of  seeing  the  (then)  capitol  of  the  Terri 
tory.  Nothing  untoward  occurred,  until  we  reached  and  crossed  the 
river  Merrimack,  where  night  overtook  us,  and  set  in  with  intense  dark 
ness,  just  as  we  reached  the  opposite  shore.  There  was  but  one  house  in 
the  vicinity  ;  and  not  distant  more  than  a  mile,  but  such  was  the  intensity 
of  the  darkness,  owing  to  clouds  and  a  gathering  storm,  that  we  lost  the 
road,  wandered  in  the  woods  for  some  hours,  during  which  the  rain  com 
menced,  and  were  at  length  directed  to  the  house  we  sought,  by  the  faint 
and  occasional  tinkling  of  a  cow  bell. 

We  travelled  the  next  morning  twelve  miles,  to  breakfast  at  the  antique 
Poking  village  of  Carondalet.  The  route  lies  over  an  elevated  tract  of 
uplands,  eligibly  situated  on  the-  right  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  in  which 
a  growth  of  wild  prairie  grass  and  flowers,  filled  up  the  broad  spaces  be 
tween  the  trees.  There  was  no  habitation  visible  on  the  route — a  stand 
ing  spring  under  a  ledge  of  rocks,  about  half  way,  was  the  only  spot 
where  we  could  get  a  drop  of  water  to  allay  our  thirst — for  it  was  a  hot 
August  day.  We  encountered  several  deer,  and  from  the  frequent  occur 
rence  of  their  tracks,  deemed  such  an  occurrence  to  be  common.  It  is  on 
this  elevated  and  airy  tract,  that  the  site  of  Jefferson  Barracks,  has  since 
been  judiciously  established  by  th'e  government. 

Beyond  Carondalet,  the  country  has  the  appearance  of  a  grown-up 
heath.  It  is  a  bushy  uninviting  tract,  without  mature  forest  trees.  The 
most  interesting  feature  we  saw,  consisted  of  a  number  of  regular  depres 
sions,  or  cup-shaped  concavities  in  the  soil,  caused  by  the  passage  of 
springs  over  a  clay  basis,  upon  which  there  is  deposited  a  heavy  diluvial 
stratum  of  sand,  mixed  earth  and  pebbles.  Within  about  three  miles  of  the 
city,  this  heathy  and  desolate  tract  began  to  assume  a  cultivated  character  ; 
dwellings  and  gardens  soon  succeeded,  and  we  found  ourselves,  by  almost 
imperceptible  grades,  introduced  into  the  city,  which  we  reached  about 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  On  entering  its  ancient  Spanish  barriers, 
we  noticed  one  of  the  old  stone  towers,  or  defences,  which  constituted  a 
part  of  the  enclosure.  This  town,  I  afterwards  learned,  had  been  regu 
larly  walled  and  fortified,  during  the  possession  of  the  country  by  the/ 
Spanish  crown.  As  soon  as  I  had  taken  lodgings,  I  called  on  R.  Petti- 
bone  Esq.,  a  friend  formerly  of  Vernon,  in  western  N.  Y.  who  had  estab 
lished  himself  in  this  central  city  of  the  west,  in  the  practice  of  the  law; 
he  was  not  in,  at  the  moment,  but  his  family  received  me  with  cordiality. 
He  returned  my  visit  in  the  evening,  and  insisted  on  my  taking  up  my 
quarters  at  his  house.  The  time  that  I  spent  here,  was  devoted  to  the 
most  prominent  objects  which  the  town  and  its  vicinity  presented  to  in 
terest  a  stranger,  such  as  the  private  museum  of  the  late  Gen.  Wm.  Clark, 


32  PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES. 

containing  many  articles  of  rich  and  valuable  Indian  costume  ;  the  large 
natural  mounds  above  the  city,  and  the  character  of  the  rock  formation 
along  the  shores  of  the  river,  which  was  said  to  have  had  the  impressions 
of  human  feet,  on  its  original  surface.  The  latter  I  did  not  see  till  the 
summer  of  1821,  when  the  block  of  stone  containing  them  was  examined 
in  Mr.  Rapp's  garden,  at  Harmony,  on  the  Wabash. 

My  inclinations  having  led  me,  at  this  time,  to  visit  the  extensive  lead 
mines,  southwest  of  this  city,  on  the  waters  of  the  Merrimack,  I  lost  no 
time  in  retracing  my  way  to  Herculaneum,  by  descending  the  Mississippi. 

When  I  was  prepared  to  descend  the  river,  the  two  gentlemen  who 
had  been  my  travelling  companions,  on  the  journey  up.  had  completed 
the  business  of  their  adventure,  and  offered  me  a  seat,  in  a  small  boat, 
under  their  control.  It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  day  that  this 
arrangement  was  proposed,  and  it  was  dusk  before  we  embarked  ;  but  it 
was  thought  the  village  of  Cahokia,  some  five  or  six  miles  below,  could 
be  reached  in  good  season.  A  humid  and  misty  atmosphere  rendered  the 
night  quite  dark,  and  we  soon  found  ourselves  afloat  on  the  broad  current 
of  the  stream,  without  knowing  our  position,  for  it  was  too  intensely  dark 
to  descry  the  outlines  of  either  shore.  Being  in  a  light  open  boat,  we 
were  not  only  in  some  peril,  from  running  foul  of  drifting  trees,  but  it 
became  disagreeably  cold.  On  putting  in  for  the  Illinois  shore,  a  low 
sandy  bar,  or  shoal  was  made,  but  one  of  rny  companions  who  had  landed 
came  running  back  with  an  account  of  a  bear  and  her  cub,  which  caused 
us  to  push  on  about  a  mile  further,  where  we  passed  the  night,  without 
beds  or  fire.  Daylight  disclosed  to  us  the  fact  that  we  had  passed  Caho 
kia;  we  then  crossed  over  to  the  Missouri  shore,  and  having  taken  break 
fast  at  Carondalet,  continued  the  voyage,  without  any  further  misadver 
ture,  and  reached  Herculaneum  at  noon. 

I  lost  no  time  in  preparing  to  visit  the  mines,  and  having  made  arrange 
ments  for  my  baggage  to  follow,  set  out  on  foot  for  Potosi.  The  first  da} 
I  proceeded  eighteen  miles,  and  reached  Steeples,  at  the  head  of  th» 
Zwoshau,  or  Joachim  river,  at  an  early  hour.  The  day  was  excessively 
hot,  and  the  road  lay  for  the  greater  part  of  the  distance,  over  a  ridge  of 
land,  which  afforded  no  water,  and  very  little  shelter  from  the  sun's  rays. 
I  met  not  a  solitary  individual  on  the  route,  and  with  the  exception  of  the 
small  swift  footed  lizard,  common  to  the  way  side,  and  a  single  wild  turkey, 
nothing  in  the  animal  kingdom.  The  antlers  of  the  deer  frequently  seen 
above  the  grass,  denoted  it  however  to  abound  in  thai  animal.  I  was  con 
strained  while  passing  this  dry  tract,  to  allay  my  thirst  at  a  pool,  in  a  rut, 
not,  however,  without  having  disconcerted  a  wild  turkey,  which  had  come 
apparently  for  the  same  purpose. 

Next  day  I  crossed  the  valley  of  Grand  or  Big  river,  as  it  is  commonly 
called,  and  at  the  distance  of  twelve  miles  from  the  Joachim,  I  entered  the 
mining  village  of  Shibboleth — the  feudal  seat,  so  to  say,  of  the  noted 


PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES.  33 

"John  Smith  T."  of  whose  singularities  rumour  had  already  apprized  me. 
Here  was  a  novel  scene.  Carts  passing  with  loads  of  ore — smelting  fur 
nao.es,  and  fixtures,  and  the  half-hunter,  half-farmer  costumes  of  the  group 
of  men  who  were  congregated  about  the  principal  store,  told  me  very 
plainly,  that  I  was  now  in  the  mining  region.  Lead  digging  and  dis 
covering,  and  the  singular  hap-hazards  of  men  who  had  suddenly  got  rich 
by  finding  rich  beds  of  ore,  and  suddenly  got  poor  by  some  folly  or  extra 
vagance,  gave  a  strong  colouring  to  the  whole  tone  of  conversation  at  thip 
spot,  which  was  carried  on  neither  in  the  mildest  or  most  unobtrusive  way ; 
quite  a  vocabulary  of  new  technical  words  burst  upon  me,  of  which  it  was 
necessary  to  get  the  correct  import.  I  had  before  heard  of  the  pretty 
term,  "  mineral  blossom,"  as  the  local  name  for  radiated  quartz,  but  here 
were  tiff  (sulphate  of  barytes),  glass-tiff  (calcareous  spar),  "  mineral  sign," 
and  a  dozen  other  words,  to  be  found  in  no  books.  At  the  head  of  these 
new  terms  stood  the  popular  word  "mineral,"  which  invariably  meant 
galena,  and  nothing  else.  To  hunt  mineral,  to  dig  mineral,  and  to  srneit 
mineral,  were  so  many  operations  connected  with  the  reduction  of  the 
ores  of  galena. 

I  soon  found  the  group  of  men  about  the  village  store,  was  a  company 
of  militia,  and  that  I  was  in  the  midst  of  what  New  Yorkers  call  a  "  train 
ing,"  which  explained  the  hunter  aspect  I  had  noticed.  They  were 
armed  with  rifles,  and  dressed  in  their  every  day  leather  or  cotton  hunting 
shirts.  The  officers  were  not  distinguished  from  the  men,  either  because 
swords  were  not.  easily  procured,  or  more  probably,  because  they  did  not 
wish  to  appear  with  so  inefficient  and  useless  an  arm.  "  Food  for  powder," 
was  the  first  term  that  occurred  to  me  on  first  surveying  this  group  of  men, 
but  nothing  could  have  been  more  inapposite;  for  although  like  "lean 
Jack's"  men,  they  had  but  little  skill  in  standing  in  a  right  line,  never 
were  men  better  skilled  for  personal  combat, — from  the  specimens  given,  I 
believe  there  was  hardly  a  man  present,  who  could  not  drive  a  bullet  into 
the  size  of  a  dollar  a*,  a  hundred  yards.  No  man  was  better  skilled  in  this 
art,  either  with  rifle  or  piste],  than  the  Don  of  the  village,  the  said  John 
Smith  T,,  or  his  brother,  called  "the  Major,"  neither  of  whom  travelled, 
or  eat,  or  slept,  as  I  afterwards  witnessed,  without  their  arms.  During 
my  subsequent  rambles  in  the  mine  country,  I  have  sat  at  the  same  table, 
slept  in  the  same  room,  and  enjoyed  the  conversation  of  one  or  the  other, 
and  can  say,  that  their  extraordinary  habit  of  going  fully  armed,  was 
united  in  both  with  courteous  manners,  honourable  sentiments,  and  high 
chivalric  notions  of  personal  independence ;  and  I  had  occasion  to  notice, 
that  it  was  none  but  their  personal  enemies,  or  opponents  in  business,  that 
dealt  in  vituperation  against  them.  John  Smith  T.  was  doubtless  a  man 
of  singular  and  capricious  humours,  and  a  most  fiery  spirit,  when  aroused; 
of  which  scores  of  anecdotes  are  afloat.  He  was  at  variance  with  several 

of  his  most  conspicuous  neighbours,  and,  if  he  be  likened  to  the  lion  of 

3 


34  PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES. 

the  forest,  it  will  be  perfectly  just  to  add,  that  most  of  the  lesse\  animals 
stood  in  fear  of  him. 

My  stop  here  had  consumed  some  time,  but  thinking  I  could  still  reach 
Mine  a  Burton,  I  pushed  on,  but  had  only  proceeded  a  couple  of  miles 
when  I  was  hastily  compelled  to  seek  shelter  from  an  impending  shower. 
As  it  was  late,  and  the  storm  continued,  I  remained  at  a  farm  house,  at 
Old  Mines  during  the  night.  They  gave  me  a  supper  of  rich  fresh 
milk  and  fine  corn  bread.  In  the  morning,  a  walk  of  three  miles  brought 
me  to  Potosi,  where  I  took  lodgings  at  Mr.  Ficklin's,  proprietor  of  the 
principal  inn  of  the  place.  Mr.  F.  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  a  man  of 
open  frank  manners,  and  most  kind  benevolent  feelings,  who  had  seen 
much  of  frontier  life,  had  lived  a  number  of  years  in  Missouri,  and  now 
at  a  rather  advanced  period  of  life,  possessed  a  fund  of  local  knowledge 
and  experience,  the  communication  of  which  rendered  the  time  I  spent  at 
his  house  both  profitable  and  pleasing. 

I  reached  Potosi  on  the  second  of  August.  The  next  day  was  the  day 
of  the  county  election*,  which  brought  together  the  principal  miners  and 
agricultural  gentlemen  of  the  region,  and  gave  me  a  favourable  oppor 
tunity  of  forming  acquaintance,  and  making  known  the  object  of  my  visit. 
I  was  particularly  indebted  to  the  civilities  of  Stephen  F.  Austin,  Esq. 
for  these  introductions.  During  my  stay  in  the  country  he  interested 
himself  in  my  success,  omitted  no  opportunity  of  furthering  my  views,  and 
extending  my  acquaintance  with  the  geological  features  and  resources  of 
the  country.  He  offered  me  an  apartment  in  the  old  family  mansion  of 
Durham  Hall,  for  the  reception  and  accumulation  of  my  collections. 
Mr.  Bates  and  sons,  Mr.  Jones  and  sons,  Mr.  Perry  and  brothers,  Mr. 
Elliot,  Mr.  Brickey,  Mr.  Honey  and  others,  seconded  these  civilities.  In 
deed  the  friendly  and  obliging  disposition  I  uniformly  met  with,  from  the 
inhabitants  of  the  mines,  and  the  mine  country  generally,  is  indelibly  im 
pressed  on  my  memory 

I  was  now  at  the  capital  of  the  mines,  and  in  a  position  most  favour 
able  for  obtaining  true  information  of  their  character  and  value. 
Three  months  devoted  to  this  object  left  scarcely  a  nook  of  the  country 
which  I  had  not  either  personally  explored,  or  obtained  authentic 
information  of.  I  found  forty-five  principal  mines,  or  mineral  diggings 
as  some  of  them  are  called,  within  a  circumference  of  less  than  forty 
miles.  Potosi,  and  its  vicinity  yielded  annually  about  three  millions 
of  pounds  of  lead,  and  furnished  employment  to  the  estimated  num 
ber,  of  eleven  to  twelve  hundred  hands.  The  business  was  however  de 
pressed,  like  almost  every  other  branch  of  domestic  arts  or  industry, 
after  the  peace  of  1814,  owing  to  the  great  influx  and  low  prices  of 

*  About  70  votes  were  polled  in  the  town  of  Polosi.  Mr.  Austin,  the  younger,  wne 
retujcaed  by  the  county  to  the  Territorial  Legislature. 


PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES.  35 

foreign  products,  and  the  general  derangement  of  currency  and  credit. 
Prepared  ore,  delivered  at  the  furnaces,  was  worth  two  dollars  per  cwt, 
paid  chiefly  in  merchandize.  Pig  lead  sold  at  four  dollars,  at  the  mines  ; 
and  but  half  a  dollar  higher  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  and  was 
quoted  at  seven  dollars  in  the  Atlantic  cities.  Judged  from  these  data, 
there  appeared  no  adequate  cause  for  the  alleged  depression ;  for  in  addi 
tion  to  the  ordinary  merchant's  profit,  in  the  disposition  of  his  stock  to  the 
operative  miner  or  digger  of  ore,  a  profit  of  one  cent  and  a  half  per  pound 
was  left,  over  and  above  the  cost  of  transportation  to  an  eastern  market ; 
besides,  the  difference  in  exchange,  between  the  south  western  and  eastern 
cities.  And  it  was  evident,  from  a  view  of  the  whole  subject,  that  the 
business  could  not  only  be  profitably  pursued,  with  economical  arrange 
ments,  but  that  the  public  domain,  upon  which  most  of  the  mines  are 
seated,  might  be  made  to  yield  a  revenue  to  the'treasury,  at  least  equal  to 
the  amount  of  this  article  required  for  the  national  consumption,  over  the 
expenses,  the  superintendence  and  management.  Besides  which,  there 
was  great  room  for  improved  and  economical  modes  of  mining;  and  there 
was  hardly  one  of  the  manipulations,  from  the  making  of  a  common  drill 
or  pick,  to  the  erection  of  a  smelting  furnace,  which  did  not  admit  of  salu 
tary  changes  for  the  better.  The  recovery  of  the  mere  waste  lead,  in  its 
sublimated  form,  around  the  open  log  furnaces  of  the  country,  promised  to 
add  a  valuable  item  to  the  profit  of  the  business.  The  most  wasteful,  hurried, 
and  slovenly  of  all  systems  is  pursued  in  exploring  and  raising  the  ore,  by 
%vhich  the  surface  of  the  country  is  riddled  with  pit  holes,  in  the  most 
random  manner  ;  the  loose  and  scattered  deposits  in  the  soil  hastily  gathered 
up,  and  the  real  lead  and  veins  of  metal  left,  in  very  many  cases,  untouched. 
Thousands  of  square  acres  of  land  were  thus  partially  rifled  of  their 
riches,  and  spoiled,  and  condemned,  without  being  exhausted.  By  having 
no  scientific  knowledge  of  mineral  veins  and  geological  structure,  as  prac 
tically  adopted  in  Europe,  all  rule  in  the  process  of  mining  and  raising 
the  ore  had  degenerated  into  mere  guess  work,  and  thousands  of  dollars 
had  been  wasted,  in  some  places,  where  the  application  of  some  of  the 
plainest  mining  principles,  would  not  have  warranted  the  removal  of  a 
shovel  full  of  earth.  In  short,  there  was  here  observed,  a  blending  of  the 
miner  and  farmer  character.  Almost  every  farmer  was  a  miner.  Plan 
ters  who  had  slaves,  employed  them  part  of  the  year  in  mining;  and 
every  miner,  to  some  extent  was  a  farmer.  Because  the  ore  found  in  the 
clay  beds  did  not  occur  in  east  and  west,  or  north  and  south  lines,  or  its 
rules  of  deposition  had  not  been  determined  by  careful  observation,  all 
success  in  the  exploration  was  supposed  to  be  the  result  of  chance.  And 
whoever  surveys  the  mineral  counties  of  Missouri,  wfj  be  ready  to  con 
clude,  that  more  labour  has  been  thrown  away  in  the  helter-skelter  sys 
tem  of  digging,  than  was  ever  applied  to  well  directed  or  profitable 


36  PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES 

mining.  Had  an  absolute  monarch  called  for  this  vast  amount  of  labour 
from  his  people  to  build  some  monument,  he  would  have  been  declared 
the  greatest  tyrant.  Indeed,  I  know  of  no  instance  in  America,  of  the 
misapplication  of  so  great  an  amount  of  free  labour — labour  cheerfully 
bestowed,  and  thrown  away  without  a  regret.  For  the  losers  in  mining, 
like  the  adventurers  in  a  lottery,  have  no  one  to  blame  but  themselves. 

It  appeared  to  me  that  a  statement  of  the  actual  condition  of  the  mines, 
would  be  received  with  attention  at  Washington,  and  that  a  system  for  the 
better  management  of  them  could  not  but  be  approved,  were  it  properly 
brought  forward.  I  determined  to  make  the  attempt.  It  did  not,  how 
ever,  appear  to  me,  that  nature  had  limited  the  deposits  of  ore  to  one  spe- 
»'ies,  or  to  so  limited  an  area,  and  I  sought  means  to  extend  my  personal 
examinations  farther  west  and  south.  To  bring  this  about,  and  to  collect 
the  necessary  information  to  base  statements  on,  in  a  manner  correspondent 
to  my  wishes,  required  time,  and  a  systematic  mocie  of  recording  facts. 

To  this  object,  in  connexion  with  the  natural  history  of  the  country,  I 
devoted  the  remainder  of  the  year,  and  a  part  of  the  following  year.  I 
soon  found,  after  reaching  the  mines,  that  I  had  many  coadjutors  in  the 
business  of  collecting  specimens,  in  the  common  miners,  some  of  whom 
were  in  the  habit  of  laying  aside  for  me,  any  thing  they  found,  in  their 
pits  and  leads,  which  assumed  a  new  or  curious  character.  Inquiries  and 
applications  relative  to  the  mineralogy  and  structure  of  the  country  were 
made,  verbally  and  by  letter,  from  many  quarters.  I  established  my  resi 
dence  .at  Potosi,  but  made  excursions,  from  time  to  time,  in  various  direc 
tions.  Some  of  these  excursions  were  fruitful  of  incidents,  which  would 
be  worth  recording,  did  the  cursory  character  of  these  reminiscences  per 
mit  it.  On  one  occasion,  I  killed  a  horse  by  swimming  him  across  the 
Joachim  river,  at  its  mouth,  whilst  he  was  warm  and  foaming  from  a  hard 
day's  ride.  He  was  put  in  the  stable  and  attended,  but  died  the  next  day, 
as  was  supposed,  from  this  sudden  ^transition.  There  was  scarcely 
a  mine  or  digging  in  the  country,  for  forty  miles  around,  which  I  did  not 
personally  examine  ;  and  few  persons,  who  had  given  attention  to  the 
subject,  from  whom  I  did  not  derive  some  species  of  information. 

The  general  hospitality  and  frankness  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  mine 
country  could  not  but  make  a  favourable  impression  on  a  stranger.  The 
custom  of  riding  on  horseback,  in  a  region  which  affords  great  facilities 
for  it,  makes  every  one  a  horseman  and  a  woodsman,  and  has  generated 
something  of  the  cavalier  air  and  manners.  But  nothing  impressed  me 
more,  in  this  connexion,  than  the  gallant  manner,  which  I  observed  here, 
of  putting  a  lady  on  horseback.  She  stands  facing  you,  with  the  bridle 
in  her  right  hand,  and  gives  you  her  left.  She  then  places  one  of  her  feet 
in  your  left  hand,  which  you  stoop  to  receive,  when,  by  a  simultaneous 
exertion  and  spring,  she  is  vaulted  backwards  into  the  saddle.  Whether 


PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES.  87 

this  be  a  transmitted  Spanish  custom,  I  know  not,  but  I  have  not  observed 
it  in  the  French,  or  American  settlements  west  of  the  Alleghanies. 

The  earthquakes  of  1812,  which  were  so  disastrous  in  South  America, 
are  known  to  have  propagated  themselves  towards  the  north,  and  they  ex 
erted  some  striking  effects  in  the  lower  part  of  the  valley  of  the  Missis 
sippi,  sending  down  into  the  channel  of  the  latter,  large  areas  of  deluvial 
earth,  as  was  instanced,  in  a  remarkable  manner,  at  New  Madrid.  Por 
tions  of  the  forest,  back  of  this  town,  sunk,  and  gave  place  to  lakes  and 
lagoons.  These  effects  were  also  witnessed,  though  in  a  milder  form,  in 
the  more  solid  formations  of  the  mine  country.  Soon  after  reaching 
Potosi,  I  visited  the  Mineral  Fork,  a  tributary  of  the  Merrimack,  where 
some  of  these  effects  had  been  witnessed.  I  descended  into  the  pit  and 
crevices  of  the  Old  Mines.  These  mines  were  explored  in  the  metallifer 
ous  rock.  Every  thing  had  an  old  and  ruinous  look,  for  they  had  been 
abandoned.  Large  quantities  of  the  ore  had  been  formerly  raised  at  this 
mine,  which  was  pursued  into  a  deep  fissure  of  the  limestone  rock.  I  de 
scended  into  this  fissure,  and  found  among  the  rubbish  and  vein  stones, 
large  elongated  and  orbicular  masses  of  calc  spar,  the  outer  surfaces  of 
which  bore  strong  marks  of  geological  abrasion.  They  broke  into  rhombs 
very  transparent,  and  of  a  honey-yellow  colour.  Mr.  Elliot,  the  intelli 
gent  proprietor  of  this  mine,  represented  the  indications  of  ore  to  have  been 
flattering,  although  every  thing  was  now  at  a  stand.  Masses  of  sulphuret 
of  zinc,  in  the  form  of  blende,  were  noticed  at  this  locality.  Mr.  Elliot 
invited  me  to  dine,  and  he  filled  up  the  time  with  interesting  local  remin 
iscences.  He  stated,  among  other  facts,  that  a  copious  spring,  at  these 
mines,  dried  up  during  the  remarkable  earthquakes  of  1812.  These 
earthquakes  appear  to  have  discharged  their  shocks  in  the  direction  of  the 
stratification  from  the  southwest  to  the  northeast,  but  they  spent  their  force 
west  of  the  Mississippi.  Their  chief  violence  was  at  Natchitoches  and 
New  Madrid,  at  the  latter  of  which  they  destroyed  an  immense  area  of 
alluvial  land.  Their  effects  in  the  Ohio  valley,  lying  exactly  in  the  direc 
tion  of  their  action,  were  slight.  A  Mr.  Watkins,  of  Cincinnati,  accom 
panied  me  on  this  examination,  and  rode  back  with  me  to  Potosi. 

On  the  9th  of  August,  I  had  dined  with  Samuel  Perry,  Esq.,  at  Mine 
;i  Burton,  one  of  the  principal  inhabitants  of  the  county,  and  was  passing 
the  evening  at  Mr.  Austin's,  when  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perry  came  suddenly  in. 
They  had  hardly  taken  seats,  when  a  rabble  of  persons  with  bells  and 
horns  surrounded  the  house,  and  kept  up  a  tumult  that  would  have  done 
honor  to  one  of  the  wildest  festivals  of  St.  Nicholas,  headed  by  Brom  Bones 
himself.  This,  we  were  told,  was  a  Chiraviri.  And  what  is  a  Chiraviri? 
I  am  not  deep  enough  read  in  French  local  customs  to  give  a  satisfactory 
answer,  but  the  custom  is  said  to  be  one  that  the  populace  may  indulge  in, 
whenever  a  marriage  has  taken  place  in  the  village,  which  is  not  in  exact 
accordance  with  their  opinions  o*  its  propriety.  I  was,  by  this  incident,  in- 


38  PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES. 

formed  of  Mr.  Perry's  recent  marriage,  and  should  judge,  moi cover,  that 
he  had  exercised  both  taste  and  judgment  in  his  selection  of  a  partner. 
The  affair  of  the  Chiraviri  is  said  to  have  been  got  up  by  some  spiteful 
persons. 

Towards  the  middle  of  the  month  (12th,)  I  set  out,  accompanied  by  Mr. 
James  B.  Austin,  on  horseback,  for  Herculaneum,  by  the  way  of  Hazel 
Run,  a  route  displaying  a  more  southerly  section  of  the  mine  country  than 
I  had  before  seen.  A  ride  on  horseback  over  the  mine  hills,  offers  one 
of  the  most  delightful  prospects  of  picturesque  sylvan  beauty  that  can  be 
well  conceived  of.  The  hills  are,  with  a  few  exceptions,  not  precipitous 
enough  to  make  the  ride  irksome.  They  rise  in  long  and  gentle  swells, 
resembling  those  of  the  sea,  in  which  the  vessel  is,  by  an  easy  motion,  al 
ternately  at  the  top  of  liquid  hills,  or  in  the  bottom  of  liquid  vales.  From 
these  hills  the  prospect  extends  over  a  surface  of  heath-grass  and  prairie 
flowers,  with  an  open  growth  of  oaks,  giving  the  whole  country  rather 
the  aspect  of  a  park  than  a  wilderness.  Occasionally  a  ridge  of  pine 
intervenes,  and  wherever  there  is  a  brook,  the  waters  present  the  trans 
parency  of  rock  crystal.  Sometimes  a  range  of  red  clay  hillocks,  put 
ting  up  rank  shrubs  and  vines  of  species  which  were  unknown  before^ 
indicates  an  abandoned  digging  or  mine.  Farms  and  farm  houses  were 
then  few ;  and  every  traveller  we  met  on  horseback,  had  more  or  less  the 
bearing  of  a  country  cavalier,  with  a  fine  horse,  good  equipments,  per 
haps  holsters  and  pistols,  sometimes  a  rifle,  and  always  something  of  a 
military  air,  betokening  manliness  and  independence.  Wherever  we 
stopped,  and  whoever  we  met  on  the  way,  there  was  evinced  a  courteous 
and  hospitable  disposition. 

We  did  not  leave  Potosi  till  afternoon.  It  was  a  hot  August  day,  and  it 
was  dusk  before  we  entered  the  deep  shady  valley  of  Big  River.  Some 
delay  arose  in  waiting  for  the  ferryman  to  put  us  across  the  river,  and  it 
was  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  when  we  reached  Mr.  Bryant's,  at  Hazel 
Run,  where  we  were  cordially  received.  Our  host  would  not  let  us  leave 
his  house,  next  morning,  till  after  breakfast.  We  rode  to  McCormick's, 
on  the  Flatten,  to  dinner,  and  reached  Herculaneum  before  sunset.  The 
distance  by  this  route  from  Potosi  is  forty-five  miles,  and  the  road,  with 
the  exception  of  a  couple  of  miles,  presented  a  wholly  new  section  of  the 
country. 

The  Mississippi  was  now  low,  displaying  large  portions  of  its  margin, 
and  exhibiting  heavy  deposits  of  mud  and  slime,  which  broke  into  cakes, 
as  they  dried  in  the  sun.  I  know  not  whether  these  exhalations  affected 
me,  but  I  experienced  a  temporary  illness  fora  few  days  during  this  visit. 
I  recollect  that  we  had,  during  this  time,  some  severe  and  drenching  rain 
storms,  with  vivid  and  copious  lightning,  and  heavy  pealing  thunder. 
These  drenching  and  rapid  showers  convert  the  brooks  and  rills  of  the 
mine  country  to  perfect  torrents,  and  this  explains  one  cause  of  the  wash- 


PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES.  39 

ing  away  and  gullying  of  roads  and  streets,  so  remarkable  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  Mississippi.  My  illness  induced  me  to  give  up  returning  on 
horseback  ;  and  I  set  out,  on  the  18th  of  the  month,  in  a  dearborn,  accom 
panied  by  Mrs.  Austin.  On  descending  the  long  hill,  near  DonnelPs,  be 
yond  the  Joachim,  the  evening  was  so  dark  that  I  became  sensible  I  must 
have  got  out  of  the  road.  I  drove  with  the  more  care  a  few  moments, 
and  stopped.  Requesting  Mrs.  Austin  to  hold  the  reins,  I  jumped  out 
and  explored  the  ground.  I  found  myself  in  an  abandoned,  badly  gullied 
track,  which  would  have  soon  capsized  the  wagon  ;  but  leading  the  horse 
by  the  bridle,  I  slowly  regained  my  position  in  the  direct  road  and  got 
down  the  hill,  and  reached  the  house  without  further  accident.  Next  day 
we  drove  into  Potosi  by  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  This  was  my 
second  visit,  and  1  now  accepted  a  room  and  quarters  for  my  collection, 
at  their  old  homestead  called  Durham  Hall. 

From  this  period  till  the  middle  of  September,  I  pursued  with  unre 
mitting  assiduity,  the  enquiry  in  hand,  and  by  that  time  had  made  a  cabi 
net  collection,  illustrating  fully  the  mineralogy,  and,  to  some  extent,  the  geo 
logical  structure  of  the  country.  I  erected  a  small  chemical  furnace  for 
assays.  Some  of  the  clays  of  the  country  were  found  to  stand  a  high 
heat,  and  by  tempering  them  with  pulverized  granite,  consisting  largely 
of  felspar,  I  obtained  crucibles  that  answered  every  purpose.  Some  of 
the  specimens  of  lead  treated  in  the  dry  way,  yielded  from  75  to  82  pei 


nrpw  :i;  ii,y  way,  on  the  25th  of  August,  a  fact  which  led  to 
tne  discovery  of  a  primitive  tract,  on  the  southern  borders  of  the  mine 
country,  the  true  geological  relation  of  which  to  the  surrounding  second 
ary  formations,  formed  at  the  outset  rather  a  puzzle.  I  rode  out  on  horse 
back  on  that  day,  with  Mr.  Stephen  F.  Austin,  to  Miller's,  on  the  Mineral 
Fork,  to  observe  a  locality  of  manganese,  and  saw  lying,  near  his  mills, 
some  large  masses  of  red  syenitic  granite,  which  appeared  to  have  been 
freshly  blasted.  He  remarked  that  they  were  obtained  on  the  St.  Francis, 
and  were  found  to  be  the  best  material  at  hand  for  millstones.  On  exami 
nation,  the  rock  consisted  almost  exclusively  of  red  feldspar  and  quartz. 
A  little  hornblende  was  present,  but  scarcely  a  trace  of  mica.  This 
species  of  syenitic  granite,  large  portions  of  which,  viewed  in  the  field, 
are  complete  syenite,  and  all  of  which  is  very  barren  of  crystals,  I  have 
since  found  on  the  upper  Mississippi,  and  throughout  the  northwestern 
regions  above  the  secondary  latitudes.  The  hint,  however,  was  not  lost. 
I  took  the  first  opportunity  to  visit  the  sources  of  the  St.  Francis  :  having 
obtained  letters  to  a  gentleman  in  that  vicinity,  I  set  out  on  horseback 
for  that  region,  taking  a  stout  pair  of  saddle-bags,  to  hold  my  collections. 
I  passed  through  Murphy's  and  Cook's  settlements,  which  are,  at  the 
present  time,  the  central  parts  of  St.  Francis  county.  Mine  a  la  Motte 
afforded  some  new  facts  in  its  mineralogical  features.  I  first  saw  this  red 


40  PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES. 

syenite,  in  place,  on  Blackford's  Fork.  The  westernmost  limits  of  this 
ancient  mine  extends  to  within  a  mile  or  two  of  this  primitive  formation. 
The  red  clay  formation  extends  to  the  granitic  elevations,  and  conceals 
their  junction  with  the  newer  rock.  The  nearest  of  the  carboniferous 
series,  in  place,  is  on  the  banks  of  Rock  Creek,  at  some  miles'  distance. 
It  is  there  the  crystalline  sandstone.  How  far  this  primitive  district  of 
the  St.  Francis  extends,  has  not  been  determined.  The  St.  Francis  and 
Grand  rivers,  both  have  their  sources  in  it.  It  is  probable  the  Ozaw  Fork 
of  the  Merrimack  comes  from  its  western  borders.  Not  less  than  twenty 
or  thirty  miles  can  be  assigned  for  its  north  and  south  limits.  The  Iron 
mountain  of  Bellvieu  is  within  it.  The  vicinity  of  the  pass  called  the 
Narrows,  appears  to  have  been  the  locality  of  former  volcanic  action.  A 
scene  of  ruder  disruption,  marked  by  the  vast  accumulation  of  broken 
rock,  it  would  be  difficult  to  find.  Indeed  the  whole  tract  is  one  of  high 
geological,  as  well  as  scenic  interest.  Had  the  observer  of  this  scene 
been  suddenly  dropped  down  into  one  of  the  wildest,  broken,  primitive 
tracts  of  New  England,  or  the  north  east  angle  of  New  York,  he  could 
not  have  found  a  field  of  higher  physical  attractions.  Trap  and  green 
stone  constitute  prominent  tracts,  and  exist  in  the  condition  of  dykes  in 
the  syenite,  or  feldspathique  granite.  I  sought  in  vain  for  mica  in  the 
form  of  distinct  plates.  Some  of  the  greenstone  is  handsomely  porpho- 
rytic,  and  embraces  green  crystals  of  feldspar.  Portions  of  this  rock  art 
sprinkled  with  masses  of  bright  sulphuret  of  iron.  Indeed  iron  in  several 
of  its  forms  abounds.  By  far  the  largest  portion  of  it  is  in  the  shape  of 
the  micaceous  oxyde.  I  searched,  without  success,  for  the  irridescen 
specular  variety,  or  Elba  ore.  In  returning  from  this  trip,  I  found  Wolf 
river  greatly  swollen  by  rains,  and  had  to  swim  it  at  much  hazard,  with 
my  saddle-bags  heavily  laden  with  the  results  of  my  examination.  It  was 
dark  when  I  reached  the  opposite  bank :  wet  and  tired  I  pushed  for  the 
only  house  in  sight.  As  I  came  to  it  the  doors  stood  open,  the  fences 
were  down,  a  perfect  air  of  desolation  reigned  around.  There  was  no 
living  being  found  ;  and  the  masses  of  yawning  darkness  exhibited  by 
the  untenanted  rooms,  seemed  a  fit  residence  for  the  genius  of  romance. 
Neither  my  horse  nor  myself  were,  however,  in  a  temper  or  plight  for  an 
adventure  of  this  kind,  and  the  poor  beast  seemed  as  well  pleased  as  I 
wag,  to  push  forward  from  so  cheerless  a  spot.  Four  miles'  riding  through 
an  untenanted  forest,  and  a  dark  and  blind  road,  brought  us  to  a  Mr. 
Murphy  s,  the  sponsor  of  Murphy's  settlement. 


SCENES  AID  ADVEITUBES 

IN   THE    OZARK    MOUNTAINS. 
A.  D.  1818  AND  1819. 

FROM  THE  ORIGINAL  NOTES  AND  JOURNAL. 


PRELIMINARY  RExMARKS. 

VERY  little,  it  is  conceived,  is  necessary  to  enable  the  reader  to  determine 
w)  writer's  position  on  the'  extreme  south  western  frontiers,  in  the  year 
He  had  spent  the  summer  of  that  year  in  traversing  the  mine  dis- 
trrt,  which  extends  along  the  right  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  between  the 
month  of  the  Maromeg  and  the  diluvial  cliffs  south  of  Cape  Girardeau, 
extending  west  and  south  westward  to  the  sources  of  the  St.  Francis.  In 
these  mineralogies!  rambles,  which  were  pursued  sometimes  on  foot,  and 
sometimes  on  horseback,  or  wheels,  he  made  acquaintance  with  many 
estimable  men,  amongst  whom  he  may  name  the  Austins,  father  arid  son, 
the  late  Col.  Ashley,  John  Rice  Jones,  Esq.,  and  many  others  who  are 
still  living,  by  all  whom,  his  object  in  visiting  the  country  was  cordially 
approved  and  encouraged,  at  all  times.  He  also  became  acquainted  with 
practical  miners,  and  persons  of  enterprize  who  were  not  only  familiar 
with  the  settled  frontiers,  but  who  had  occasionally  penetrated  beyond 
them,  into  the  broad  expanse  of  highlands,  now  geographically  known 
under  the  term  of,  the  Ozark  Chain.  Geologically  considered,  the  mine 
country  is  but  the  eastern  flanks  of  this  chain,  which  extends  flush  to  the 
banks  of  the  Mississippi,  and  has  its  terminus  in  that  elevated  range  of 
mural  cliffs,  which  form  so  striking  and  often  picturesque  a  display,  be 
tween  St.  Genevieve  and  St.  Louis.  There  was,  at  the  time,  a  general 
apprehension  felt  and  expressed,  by  hunters  and  others  who  had  pene 
trated  those  wilds  in  quest  of  deer  and  buffalo,  or  of  saltpetre-earth  in  the 
limestone  caves,  of  the  predatory  tribe  of  theOsages. — a  people  who  had  for 
years  enjoyed  the  bad  reputation  of  being  thieves  and  plunderers.  All 
concurred,  however,  in  the  interesting  character  of  the  country  extending 
in  a  general  course,  south- west wardly,  from  the  junction  of  the  Missouri 
with  the  Mississippi.  He  felt  an  ardent  desire  to  penetrate  this  terra 
incognita.  He  could  not  learn  that  any  exploratory  journey  had  been 
made  towards  the  Rocky  Mountains,  since  the  well  known  expeditions  of 
Lewis  and  Clark,  up  the  Missouri,  and  of  Lieut.  Pike,  across  the  upper 
region  of  the  Arkansas,  to  Sante  Fe  and  Chihuahua.  Breckenridge  had 

41 


42  ADVENTURES    IN    THE    OZARK    MOUNTAINS. 

<• 

subsequently  published  an  account  of  a  trip  to  Council  Bluffs.*  But  nei 
ther  of  these  routes  crossed  the  wide  and  mountanious  tracts  referred  to,  or 
gave  any  definite  information  respecting  them.  Viewed  on  the  map,  these 
routes  formed  the  general  exterior  outlines,  but  they  left  the  interior  filling 
up  to  be  supplied, — or,  if  supplied  at  all,  it  was  too  often  with  such  vague 

phrases  as  these — ';  Here  are  salt  mountains."  "  The is  supposed  to 

take  its  rise  here."  "  Volcanic  hills,"  and  so  forth.  The  geology  of  the 
country  furnished  no  indications  whatever  of  the  probability  of  the  latter 
remark.  The  kind  of  pseudo-pumice  found  floating  down  the  Missouri, 
in  high  water,  had  been  stated  by  Lewis  and  Clarke,  to  have  a  far  more 
remote,  and  local  origin.  The  description  of  rock  salt,  in  mountain  mass, 
had  long  been  numbered  by  popular  belief,  among  the  fanciful  creations 
of  an  exciting  political  era ;  and  together  with  western  volcanoes,  had 
settled  down  among  those  antiquarian  rumours,  which  hold  up,  as  their 
prime  item,  the  existence  of  the  living'  mammoth  "  beyond  the  big  lakes." 

If  the  writer  of  the  notes  and  journal  which  furnish  these  sketches, 
was  not  swayed  by  any  particular  theories  of  this  nature,  yet  was  he  not 
free  from  the  expectation  of  finding  abundant  materials,  in  the  natural  pro 
ductions  and  scenery  and  incidents  of  the  journey,  to  reward  him  amply  for 
its  perils.  He  had  received  from  hunters  several  objects  of  the  minerological 
and  geological  collection  which  he  made,  while  living  at  Potosi,  and  Mine  a 
Burton:  from  these  wild  borders,  and,  without  pretending  to  estimate  the 
force  of  each  particular  object  which  made  up  the  sum  of  his  motives,  he 
resolved  to  organize  an  expedition,  n'ith  all  the  means  he  could  muster, 
and  explore  the  region  The  Austins,  who  had  treated  him  with  mn^ker! 
kindness  and  attention,  from  the  hour  of  hi?  first  iunclirjo  in  Missouri, 
were  then  preparing  >>.*m-  '.hen  first  movomrnt  into  Texas,  arid  neid 
out  to  him  a  fine  thet»..t_  ioi  enterprise;  but  it  was  one  not  suited  to  his 
particular  means  or  taste.  He  recoiled  from  the  subtlety  of  the  Spanish 
character  ;  and  is  free  to  confess,  that  he  deemed  it  a  far  more  attractive 
latitude  for  the  zea  maize  and  the  cotton  plant,  than  for  those  pursuits 
which  led  him  to  prefer  the  more  rugged  eminences  of  the  Ozarks. 
They,  in  the  end,  founded  a  republic,  and  he  only  made  an  adventurous 
journey. 

Having  thus  recalled  the  era  and  the  motive  of  the  following  sketches, 
the  purport  of  these  remarks  is  accomplished. 

New  York,  1844. 

*  The  tliiited  States  government,  the  ve*y  next  year,  1819,  sent  out  Col.  Long  to  the 
Yellow  Stone. 


ADVENTURES    IN    THE    OZARK    MOUNTAINS.  43 


CHAPTER   I. 

Things  lo  be  thought  of  before  plunging  into  the  woods — Composition  of  the  party,  and 
reasons  why  it  was  not  more  numerous — First  night's  encampment — Preliminaries 
— Sleep  in  a  deserted  Indian  lodge — A  singular  variety  of  the  Fox  Squirrel — The 
Pack  Horse  escapes — Cross  the  elevation  called  the  Pinery — Reach  the  outskirts  of 
the  settlements  in  the  valley  of  the  Fourche  A'Courtois. 

WHOEVER  would  venture  into  the  wilderness,  should  provide  himself 
with  such  articles  of  personal  comfort  or  safety,  as  habits,  forecast,  or  the 
particular  object  of  pursuit  or  observation,  require.  Every  one  will  think 
of  arms  and  ammunition,  but  there  are  other  things  required  to  make  life 
pleasant,  or  even  tolerable  in  the  woods.  This,  prior  excursions  had 
already  taught  me,  but  the  lesson  was  repeated  by  those  of  greater  expe 
rience.  There  were  two  persons  who  had  agreed  to  go  with  me,  and 
stick  by  me,  to  the  end, — the  one  a  native  of  Massachussets,  and  the  other, 
of  Connecticut,  both  like  myself,  new  in  the  field,  and  unacquainted  with 
life  in  the  woods.  What  they  lacked  in  this  art,  they  more  than  made  up, 
I  thought,  in  intelligence,  enterprise  and  resource.  The  name  of  the  first 
was  Brigham.  The  other,  I  shall  allude  to,  under  the  name  of  Knobitti. 
Some  three  or  four  other  persons,  natives  of  the  region,  had  consented  to 
go  as  hunters,  or  adventurers  into  a  new  field  for  emigration,  but  it  so 
happened,  that  when  all  was  ready — when  every  objection  to  the  tour  had 
been  obviated,  and  every  want  supplied,  and  when  my  two  eastern  friends 
came  on  to  the  ground,  these  persons  all  quietly,  and  with  an  easy  How  of 
reasons,  backed  out.  In  fact,  my  friend  Brigham,  was  also  obliged  to 
relinquish  the  journey,  after  he  had  reached  the  point  of  rendezvous,  i.  e. 
Potosi.  A  residence  on  the  American  bottom,  in  Illinois,  the  prior  sum 
mer,  had  exposed  him  to  the  malaria  of  that  otherwise  attractive  agricul 
tural  area,  and  an  intermittent  fever,  which  he  had  thus  contracted,  forbade 
his  venturing  beyond  the  settlements.  So  that  when  the  appointed  day 
arrived,  Enobitti  and  myself  and  my  good  landlord,  Ficklin — a  warm 
hearted  Kentuckian,  who  had  been  a  hunter  and  border  spy  in  his  youth, 
were  all  the  persons  I  could  number,  and  the  latter,  only  went  a  short  dis 
tance,  out  of  the  goodness  of  his  heart,  and  love  of  forest  adventure,  to  set 
us,  as  it  were,  on  the  way,  and  initiate  us  into  some  necessary  forest  arts. 
It  was  a  bright  balmy  day,— the  6th  of  November,  1818.  The  leaves  were 
rapidly  falling  from  the  trees,  and  strewed  the  road  and  made  a  musical 
rustling  among  the  branches,  as  we  passed  the  summits  of  the  mine  hills, 
which  separated  the  valley  of  Mine  a  Burton  from  the  next  adjoining 
stream.  The  air  had  just  enough  of  the  autumn  freshness  in  it,  to  make 
it  inspiring ;  and  we  walked  forward,  with  the  double  animation  of  health 


44  ADVENTURES    IN    THE    OZARK    MOUNTAINS 

and  hope.  As  we  passed  through  forests  where  the  hickory  abounded, 
the  fox  and  grey  squirrel  were  frequently  seen  preparing  their  winter's 
stores,  and  gave  additional  animation  to  the  scene.  It  was  early  in  the 
afternoon  when  we  came  into  the  valley  of  Bates'  Creek — it  was  indeed 
but  a  few  miles  from  our  starting  point,  where  our  kind  Mentor  told  us,  it 
was  best  to  encamp ;  for,  in  the  first  place,  it  was  the  only  spot  where  we 
could  obtain  water  for  a  long  distance,  and  secondly,  and  more  important 
than  all.  it  was  necessary  that  we  should  re-arrange  the  load  of  our  pack- 
horse,  take  a  lesson  in  the  art  of  encamping,  and  make  some  other  prepa 
rations  which  were  proper,  before  we  plunged  outright  into  the  wilderness. 
This  was  excellent  advice,  and  proper  not  only  to  novices,  but  even  to  the 
initiated  in  the  woodsman's  art.  It  is  always  an  object,  to  make,  by  this 
initiatory  movement,  Avhat  is  technically  called  a  start. 

I  had  purchased  at  Potosi,  a  horse — a  low  priced  animal,  rather  old  and 
bony,  to  carry  our  blankets,  some  light  cooking  utensils  and  a  few  other 
articles  of  necessity,  and  some  provisions.  He  bore  the  not  very  appro 
priate  name  of "  Butcher,"  whether  from  a  former  owner,  or  how  acquired 
I  know  not,  but  he  was  not  of  a  sanguinary  temper,  or  at  least,  the  only 
fighting  propensity  he  ever  evinced  was  to  get  back  to  Potosi,  as  quick  as 
possible,  for  he  ran  off  the  very  first  night,  and  frequently,  till  we  got  quite 
far  west,  repeated  the  attempt.  The  poor  beast  seemed  to  know,  instinc 
tively  j  that  he  was  going  away  from  the  land  of  corn  fodder,  and  would 
have  to  sustain  himself  by  picking  up  his  meals  out  of  sere-grass,  often  in 
stony  places,  or  in  some  dense  and  vine-bound  cane  bottom,  where  his  hind 
legs  would  often  be  bound  fast  by  the  green  briar,  while  he  reached  for 
ward  in  vain,  to  bite  off  a  green  leaf. 

Her*  we  took  the  first  lesson  in  duly  hobbling  a  horse — a  very  neces 
sary  lesson :  for  if  not  hobbled,  he  will  stray  away,  and  cause  great  deten 
tion  in  the  morning,  and  if  not  well  hobbled  he  will  injre  his  legs.  We 
found,  near  the  banks  of  the  stream,  a  deserted  Indian  lodge,  which  ap 
peared  susceptible,  by  a  little  effort,  of  affording  us  a  very  comfortable 
night's  lodging,  and  would  furthermore,  should  it  rain,  prove  an  effectual 
shelter.  This  arrangement  we  immediately  set  about :  the  horse  was  un 
packed,  his  burden  stowed  in  the  lodge,  the  horse  hobbled  and  belled,  and 
a  fire  lit.  While  my  companion  arranged  the  details  of  the  camp,  and 
prepared  to  boil  a  cup  of  tea,  I  took  my  gun,  and,  with  but  little  ado,  shot 
a  number  of  fine  fox  and  grey  squirrels — beingthe  first  fruits  of  our  exertions 
in  the  chace.  Among  them,  there  was  one  of  decidedly  mongrel  species. 
If  not,  the  variety  was  peculiar.  He  had  a  grey  body,  and  a  red  foxy 
tail,  with  the  belly,  nose,  and  tips  of  the  ears  black,  thus  uniting  charac- 
terestics  of  three  varieties.  One  or  two  of  these  were  added  to  our  supper, 
which  we  made  with  great  satisfaction,  and  in  due  time  spread  out  our 
blankets,  and  slept  soundly  till  day  break. 

On  sallying  out,  I  found  the  horse  was  gone,  and  set  out  in  pursuit  of 


ADVENTURES    IN    THE    OZARK    MOUNTAINS.  45 

him.  Although  his  fore  feet  were  tethered,  so  that  he  must  lift  up  both 
together,  he  made  his  way  back,  in  this  jumping  manner,  to  his  former 
owner's  door,  in  the  village  of  Mine  a  Burton.  He  had  not,  however, 
kept  the  path,  all  the  way,  and  losing'his  track  after  he  got  on  the  herbage, 
my  ear  caught  the  sound  of  a  bell  far  to  the  left,  which  I  took  to  be  his, 
and  followed.  I  pursued  the  sound  of  this  bell,  which  was  only  heard 
now  and  then,  till  after  crossing  hill  and  dale,  without  deviation  from  the 
line  of  sound,  I  came  out  at  a  farm  yard,  four  miles  below  Potosi ;  where 
I  found  the  bell  to  be  attached  to  the  neck  of  a  stately  penned  ox.  The 
o\vner,  (who  knew  me  and  the  circumstance  of  my  having  set  out  on  the 
expedition,)  told  me,  that  Butcher  had  reached  the  mines,  and  been  sent 
back,  by  a  son  of  his  former  owner,  to  my  camp.  I  had  nothing  left,  but 
to  retrace  my  way  to  the  same  spot,  where  I  found  the  fugitive,  and  sat 
down  to  a  breakfast  of  tea,  bread,  ham  and  squirrel.  The  whole  morning 
had  been  lost  by  this  misadventure.  It  was  ten  o'clock  before  we  got  the 
animal  packed  and  set  forward. 

Our  second  day's  journey  yielded  but  little  to  remark.  We  travelled 
diligently  along  a  rough  mountainous  path,  across  a  sterile  tract  called  the 
Pinery.  This  tract  is  valuable  only  for  its  pine  timber.  It  has  neither 
farming  land  nor  mineral  wealth.  Not  a  habitation  of  any  kind  was 
passed.  We  saw  neither  bird  nor  animal.  The  silence  of  desolation 
seemed  to  accompany  us.  It  was  a  positive  relief  to  the  uniform  sterility 
of  the  soil,  and  monotony  of  the  prospect,  to  see  at  length^ a  valley  before 
us.  It  was  a  branch  of  the  Maromeg,  or  Merrimack,  which  is  called  by 
its  original  French  term  of  Fourche  a  Courtois.  We  had  travelled  a  dis 
tance  of  fourteen  miles  over  these  flinty  eminences.  The  first  signs  of 
human  habitation  appeared  in  the  form  of  enclosed  fields.  The  sun  sunk 
below  the  hills,  as  we  entered  this  valley,  and  we  soon  had  the  glimpse  of 
a  dwelling.  Some  woodcock  flew  up  as  we  hastened  forward,  and  we 
were  not  long  in  waiting  for  our  formal  announcement  in  the  loud  and 
long  continued  barking  of  dogs.  It  required  the  stern  commands  of  their 
master,  before  they  slunk  back  and  became  quiet.  It  was  a  small  log 
tenement  of  the  usual  construction  on  the  frontiers,  and  afforded  us  the 
usual  hospitality  and  ready  accommodation.  They  gave  us  warm  cakes 
of  corn  bread,  and  fine  rich  milk.  We  spread  our  blankets  before  an 
evening's  fire,  and  enjoyed  a  good  night's  rest.  Butcher  here,  I  think, 
had  his  last  meal  of  corn,  and  made  no  attempt  to  return.  With  the 
earliest  streaks  of  day  light,  we  re-adjusted  his  pack,  and  igain  set 
forward. 


46  ADVENTURES    IN    THE    OZARK    MOUNTAINS. 


CHAPTER    II. 

Reach  a  hunter's  cabin  on  the  outskirts  of  the  wilderness — He   agrees  to  accompany 

ug Enter  the  Ozark  Hills — Encounter  an  encampment  of  the  Delaware  Indians — 

Character  of  the  country — Its  alpine  air,  and  the  purity  of  its  waters. — Ascend  to 
the  source  of  the  Merrimack— Reach  a  game  country — Deserted  by  the  hunter  and 
guide,  and  abandoned  to  individual  exertioiv,  in  these  arts. 

EVERY  joint  labour,  which  proceeds  on  the  theory,  that  each  person  en 
gaged  in  it  is  to  render  some  personal  service,  must,  in  order  that  it  may 
go  on  pleasantly  and  succeed  well,  have  a  definite  order,  or  rule  of  pro 
gress  ;  and  this  is  as  requisite  in  a  journey  in  the  wilderness  as  any  where 
else.  Our  rule  was  to  lead  the  pack  horse,  and  to  take  the  compass  and 
guide  ahead,  alternately,  day  by  day.  It  was  thought,  I  had  the  best  art 
in  striking  and  making  a  fire,  and  when  we  halted  for  the  night,  always  did 
this,  while  my  companion  procured  water  and  put  it  in  a  way  to  boil  for 
tea.  We  carried  tea,  as  being  lighter  and  more  easy  to  make  than  coffee. 
In  this  way  we  divided,  as  equally  as  possible,  the  daily  routine  of  duties, 
and  went  on  pleasantly.  We  had  now  reached  the  last  settlement  on  the 
frontier,  and  after  a  couple  of  hours'  walk,  from  our  last  place  of  lodging, 
we  reached  the  last  house,  on  the  outer  verge  of  the  wilderness.  It  was 
a  small,  newly  erected  log  hut,  occupied  by  a  hunter  of  the  name  of  Ro 
berts,  and  distant  about  20  miles  from,  and  south-west  of  Potosi.  Our  ap 
proach  here  was  also. heralded  by  dogs.  Had  we  been  wolves  or  pan 
thers,  creeping  upon  the  premises  at  midnight,  they  could  not  have 
performed  their  duty  more  noisily.  Truly  this  was  a  very  primitive 
dwelling,  and  as  recent  in  its  structure  as  it  was  primitive.  Large  fallen 
trees  lay  about,  just  as  the  axeman  had  felled  them,  and  partly  consumed 
by  fire.  The  effect  of  this  partial  burning  had  been  only  to  render  these 
huge  trunks  black  and  hideous.  One  of  them  lay  in  front  of  the  cottage. 
In  other  places  were  to  be  seen  deer  skins  stretched  to  dry;  and 
deers'  feet  and  antlers  lay  here  and  there.  There  was  not  a  foot  of 
land  in  cultivation.  It  was  quite  evident  at  first  sight,  that  we  had 
reached  the  dwelling  of  a  border  hunter,  and  not  a  tiller  of  the  ground. 
But  the  owner  was  absent,  as  we  learned  from  his  wife,  a  spare,  shrewd 
dark-skinned  little  woman,  drest  in  buckskin,  who  issued  from  the  dooi 
before  we  reached  it,  and  welcomed  us  by  the  term  of  "  Strangers."  Al 
though  this  is  a  western  term,  which  supplies  the  place  of  the  word 
"friend,"  in  other  sections  of  the  union,  and  she  herself  seemed  to  be 
thoroughly  a  native  of  these  latitudes,  no  Yankee  could  have  been 
more  inquisitive,  in  one  particular  department  of  enquiry,  namely  the  de 
partment  relative  to  the  chace.  She  inquired  our  object — the  course  and 
distance  we  proposed  tr  travel,  and  the  general  arrangements  of  horse- 


ADVE&JTUEES    IN    THE    OZARK    MOUNTAINS.  47 

gear,  equipage,  &c.  She  told  us  of  the  danger  of  encountering  the 
Osages,  and  scrutinized  our  arms.  Such  an  examination  would  indeed, 
for  its  thoroughness,  have  put  a  lad  to  his  trumps,  who  had  come 
prepared  for  his  first  quarter's  examination  at  a  country  academy.  She 
told  us,  con  amore,  that  her  husband  would  be  back  soon, — as  soon  indeed 
as  we  could  get  our  breakfast,  and  that  he  would  be  glad  to  accompany 
us,  as  far  as  Ashley's  Cave,  or  perhaps  farther.  This  was  an  opportunity 
not  to  be  slighted.  We  agreed  to  wait,  and  prepare  our  morning's 
meal,  to  which  she  contributed  some  well  baked  corn  cakes.  By  this 
time,  and  before  indeed  we  had  been  long  there,  Roberts  came  in.  It  is 
said  that  a  hunter's  life  is  a  life  of  feasting  or  fasting.  It  appeared  to  be 
one  of  the  latter  seasons,  with  him.  He  had  been  out  to  scour  the 
precincts,  for  a  meat  breakfast,  but  came  home  empty  handed.  He  was 
desirous  to  go  out  in  the  direction  we  were  steering,  which  he  represented 
to  abound  in  game,  but  feared  to  venture  far  alone,  on  account  of  the  ras 
cally  Osages.  He  did  not  fear  the  Delawares,  who  were  near  by. 
He  readily  accepted  our  offer  to  accompany  us  as  hunter.  Roberts,  like 
his  forest  help-mate,  was  clothed  in  deer  skin.  He  was  a  rather  chunky, 
stout,  middle  sized  man,  with  a  ruddy  face,  cunning  features,  and.  a 
bright  unsteady  eye.  Such  a  fellow's  final  destination  would  not  be  a 
very  equivocal  matter,  were  he  a  resident  of  the  broad  neighbourhood  of 
Sing  Sing,  or  "  sweet  Auburn :"  but  here,  he  was  a  man  that  might, 
perhaps,  be  trusted  on  an  occasion  like  this,  and  we,  at  any  rate,  were  glad  to 
have  his  services  on  the  terms  stipulated.  Even  while  we  were  talk- 
ingMie  began  to  clean  his  rifle,  and  adjust  his  leathern  accoutrements:  he 
then  put  several  large  cakes  of  corn  bread  in  a  sack,  and  in  a  very 
short  time  he  brought  a  stout  little  horse  out  of  a  log  pen,  which 
served  for  a  barn ;  and  clapping  an  old  saddle  on  his  back  and  mounting 
him,  with  his  rifle  in  one  hand,  said,  "  I  am  ready,"  and  led  off.  We 
now  had  a  guide,  as  well  as  a  hunter,  and  threw  this  burden  wholly 
on  him.  Our  course  lay  up  a  long  ridge  of  hard  bound  clay  and  chert 
soil,  in  the  direction  of  the  sources  of  the  Marameg,  or,  as  it  is  now  uni 
versally  called  and  written,  Merrimack.  After  travelling  about  four 
miles  we  suddenly  descended  from  an  acclivity  into  a  grassy,  woodless 
valley,  with  a  brisk  clear  stream  winding  through  it,  and  several  lodges 
of  Indians  planted  on  its  borders.  This,  our  guide  told  us,  was  the  Ozaw 
Fork  of  the  Merrimack,  (in  modern  geographical  parlance  Ozark.)  And 
here  we  found  the  descendants  and  remainder  of  that5*  once  powerful 
tribe  of  whom  William  Penn  purchased  the  site  of  Philadelphia,  and 
whose  ancient  dominion  extended,  at  the  earliest  certain  historical  era, 
along  the  banks  the  Lennapihittuck,  or  Delaware  river.  Two  of  them 
were  at  home,  it  being  a  season  of  the  year,  and  time  of  day,  when  the 
men  are  out  hunting.  Judging  from  peculiarity  of  features,  manners  and 
dress,  it  would  seem  to  be  impossible  that  any  people,  should  have  re- 


48  ADVENTURES    IN    THE    OZARK    MOUNTAINS. 

mained  so  long  in  contact  with  or  juxtaposition  to  the  European  races 
and  changed  so  little,  in  all  that  constitutes  national  and  personal  identity. 
Roberts  looked  with  no  very  friendly  eye  upon  these  ancient  lords  of  the 
forest,  the  whole  sum  of  his  philosophy  and  philanthropy  being  measured 
by  the  very  tangible  circle  of  prairie  and  forests,  which  narrowed  his  own 
hunting  grounds.  They  were  even  then,  deemed  to  have  been  injudici 
ously  located,  by  intelligent  persons  in  the  west,  and  have  long  since  re 
moved  to  a  permanent  location,  out  of  the  corporate  limits  of  the  States 
and  Territories,  at  the  junction  of  the  river  Konga  with  the  Missouri.  1 
should  have  been  pleased  to  have  lengthened  our  short  halt,  but  the  word 
seemed  with  him  and  Enobitti  to  be  "  onward,"  and  onward  we  pushed. 
We  were  now  fairly  in  the  Ozark  chain — a  wide  and  almost  illimitable 
tract,  of  which  it  may  be  said,  that  the  vallies  only  are  susceptible  of  fu 
ture  cultivation.  The  intervening  ridges  and  mountains  are  nearly  desti 
tute  of  forest,  often  perfectly  so,  and  in  almost  all  cases,  sterile,  and  unfit 
for  the  plough.  It  is  probable  sheep  might  be  raised  on  some  of  these 
eminences,  which  possess  a  sufficiency  of  soil  to  permit  the  grasses  to  be 
sown.  Geologically,  it  has  a  basis  of  limestones,  resting  on  sandstones. 
Unfortunately  for  its  agricultural  character,  the  surface  has  been  co 
vered  with  a  foreign  diluvium  of  red  clay  filled  with  chips  of  horstone,  chert 
and  broken  quartz,  which  make  the  soil  hard  and  compact.  Its  trees  are 
few  arid  stunted  j  its  grass  coarse.  In  looking  for  the  origin  of  such  a  soil, 
it  seems  probable  to  have  resulted  from  broken  down  slates  and  shists  on  the 
upper  Missouri  and  below  the  range  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  in  which 
these  broken  and  imbedded  substances  originally  constituted  veins.  It  is 
only  in  the  vallies,  and  occasional  plains,  that  a  richer  and  more  carbo 
naceous  soil  has  accumulated.  The  purest  springs,  however,  gush  out  of 
its  hills  ;  its  atmosphere  is  fine  and  healthful,  and  it  constitutes  a  theatre 
of  Alpine  attractions,  which  will  probably  render  it,  in  future  years,  thf 
resort  of  shepherds,  lovers  of  mountain  scenery,  and  valetudinarians 
There  is  another  remark  to  be  made  of  the  highland  tracts  of  the  Ozarb 
range.  They  look,  in  their  natural  state,  more  sterile  than  they  actua]]) 
are,  from  the  effects  of  autumnal  fires.  These  fires,  continued  for  ages  bj 
the  natives,  to  clear  the  ground  for  hunting,  have  had  the  effect  not  only 
to  curtail  and  destroy  large  vegetation,  but  all  the  carbonaceous  particles  ot 
the  top  soil  have  been  burned,  leaving  the  surface  in  the  autumn,  rou^h. 
red,  dry  and  hard.  When  a  plough  comes  to  be  put  into  such  a  surface, 
it  throws  up  quite  a  different  soil;  and  the  effects  of  light,  and  the  sun's 
heat  are  often  found,  as  I  have  noticed  in  other  parts  of  the  west,  to  pro 
duce  a  dark  and  comparatively  rich  soil. 

We  occupied  the  entire  day  in  ascending  and  crossing  the  ridge  of 
land,  which  divides  the  little  valley  of  the  Oza  from  that  of  the  Merrimack. 
When  getting  near  the  latter,  the  soil  exhibited  traces  of  what  appeared 
to  be  iron  ore,  but  somewhat  peculiar  in  its  .character,  and  of  dark  hue. 


ADVENTURES    IN    THE    OZARK    MOUNTAINS.  49 

This  soon  revealed  itself,  in  passing  a  short  distance,  in  an  ahundant  lo 
cality  of  black  and  coloured  oxide  of  manganese — lying  in  masses  in  the 
arid  soil.  The  Indian  trail  which  we  were  pursuing  led  across  the  val 
ley.  We  forded  the  river  on  foot.  No  encampments  of  Indians  were 
Found,  nor  any  very  recent  traces  of  them  ;  and  we  began  to  think  that 
the  accounts  of-  Osage  depredations  and  plundering,  must  be  rather  exag 
gerated.  The  river  pours  its  transparent  mountain  waters  over  a  wide 
bed  of  pebbles  and  small  boulders,  and,  at  this  season,  offered  but  little  im 
pediment  to  the  horses  or  ourselves  in  crossing  it.  The  sun  was  getting 
low,  by  the  time  we  reached  the  opposite  side  of  the  valley,  and  we  en 
camped  on  its  borders,  a  mile  or  two  above.  Here  we  took  due  care  of 
our  horses,  prepared  our  evening's  meal,  talked  over  the  day's  adven 
tures,  enjoyed  ourselves  sitting  before  our  camp  fire,  with  the  wild  wide 
creation  before  us  and  around,  and  then  sank  to  a  sound  repose  on  our 
pallets. 

Novices  in  the  woodman's  art,  and  raw  in  the  business  of  travelling, 
our  sleep  was  sounder  and  more  death-like,  than  that  of  Roberts.  His 
eye  had  shown  a  restlessness  during  the  aiternoon  and  evening.  We 
were  now  in  a  game  country,  the  deer  and  elk  began  to  be  frequently 
seen,  and  their  fresh  tracks  across  our  path,  denoted  their  abundance. 
During  the  night  they  ventured  about  our  camp,  so  as  to  disturb  the  ears 
of  the  weary  hunter,  and  indeed,  my  own.  He  got  up  and  found  both 
horses  missing.  Butcher's  memory  of  Mine  a  Burton  corn  fodder  had 
not  deserted  him,  and  he  took  the  hunter's  horse  along  with  him.  I  jumped 
up,  and  accompanied  him,  in  their  pursuit.  They  were  both  overtaken 
about  three  miles  back  on  the  track,  making  all  possible  speed  homeward, 
that  their  tethered  fore  legs  would  permit.  We  conducted  them  back, 
without  disturbing  my  companion,  and  he  then  went  out  with  his  rifle, 
and  quickly  brought  in  a  fine  fat  doe,  for  our  breakfast.  Each  one  cut 
fine  pieces  of  steaks,  and  roasted  for  himself.  We  ate  it  with  a  little  salt, 
and  the  remainder  of  the  hunter's  corn  cakes,  and  finished  the  repast,  with 
a  pint  cup  each,  of  Enobitti's  best  tea.  This  turned  out  to  be  a  finale 
meal  with  our  Fourche  a  Courtois  man,  Roberts :  for  the  rascal,  a  few 
hours  afterwards,  deserted  us,  and  went  back.  Had  he  given  any  intima 
tion  of  dissatisfaction,  or  a  desire  to  return,  we  should  have  been  in  a 
measure  prepared  for  it.  It  is  probable  his  fears  of  the  then  prevalent  bug 
bear  of  those  frontiersmen,  the  Osages,  were  greater  than  our  own.  It  is 
also  probable,  that  he  had  no  other  idea  whatever,  in  leaving  the  Fourche  a 
Courtois,  than  to  avail  himself  of  our  protection  till  he  could  get  into  a 
region  where  he  could  shoot  deer  enough  in  a  single  morning  to  load 
down  his  horse,  with  the  choicest  pieces,  and  lead  him  home.  This  the 
event,  at  least,  rendered  probable ;  and  the  fellow  not  only  deserted  us 
meanly,  but  he  carried  off  my  best  new  hunting  knife,  with  scabbard  and 
belt — a  loss  not  easily  repaired  in  such  a  place. 


50  ADVENTURES    IN    THE    OZARK    MOUNTAINS. 

To  cloak  his  plan,  he  set  out  with  us  in  the  morning:  it  had  rained  a  little, 
during  the  latter  part  of  the  night,  and  was  lowering  and  dark  all  the 
morning.  After  travelling  about  ten  miles,  we  left  the  Osage  trail,  which 
began  to  bear  too  far  north-west,  and  struck  through  the  woods  in  a  south 
course,  with  the  view  of  reaching  Ashley's  Cave  on  one  of  the  head 
streams  of  the  river  currents.  Soon  after  leaving  this  trail,  Roberts,  who 
was  in  advance  on  our  left,  about  half  a  mile,  fired  at,  and  killed,  a  deer, 
and  immediately  re-loaded,  pursued  and  fired  again ;  telling  us  to  continue 
on  our  course,  as  he,  being  on  horseback,  could  easily  overtake  us.  We 
neither  heard  nor  saw  more  of  him.  Night  overtook  us  near  the  banks  of 
a  small  lake,  or  rather  a  series  of  little  lakes  or  ponds,  communicating 
with  each  other,  where  we  encamped.  After  despatching  our  supper,  and 
adjusting,  in  talk,  the  day's  rather  eventful  incidents,  and  the  morrow's  plan 
of  march,  we  committed  ourselves  to  rest,  but  had  not  sunk  into  forgetful- 
ness,  when  a  pack  of  wolves  set  up  their  howl  in  our  vicinity.  We  had 
been  told  that  these  animals  will  not  approach  near  a  fire,  and  are  not  tn 
be  dreaded  in  a  country  where  deer  abound.  They  follow  the  track  of 
the  hunter,  to  share  such  part  of  the  carcass  as  he  leaves,  and  it  is  their 
nature  to  herd  together  and  run  down  this  animal  as  their  natural  prey.  We 
slept  well,  but  it  is  worthy  of  notice,  that  on  awaking  about  day  break,  the 
howling  of  the  wrolves  was  still  heard,  and  at  about  the  same  distance. 
They  had  probably  serenaded  us  all  night.  Our  fire  was  nearly  out ; 
we  felt  some  chilliness,  and  determined  to  rekindle  it,  and  prepare  our 
breakfast  before  setting  forward.  It  was  now  certain,  that  Roberts  was 
gone.  Luckily  he  had  not  carried  off  our  compass,  for  that  would  have 
been  an  accident  fatal  to  the  enterprise. 


CHAPTER   III. 


A  deeper  view  of  the  Ozark  Chain.  Pass  along  the  flanks  of  the  highlands  which 
send  out  the  sources  of  the  Black,  Eleven  points,  Currents  and  Spring  rivers.  Reach 
a  romantic  glen  of  caves.  Birds  and  animals  seen.  Saltpetre  earth  ;  stalactites. 
Cross  the  alpine  summit  of  the  western  Ozarks.  Source  of  the  Gasconde  river 
Accident  hi  fording  the  Little  Osage  river. — Encamp  on  one  of  its  tributaries. 

IT  was  found,  as  we  began  to  bestir  ourselves  for  wood  to  light  our  fire 
that  we  had  reposed  not  far  from  a  bevy  of  wild  ducks,  who  had  sought 
the  grassy  edge  of  the  lake  during  the  night,  and  with  the  first  alarm  be 
took  themselves  to  flight.  With  not  so  ready  a  mode  of  locomotion,  we 
followed  their  example,  in  due  time,  and  also  their  course,  which  was 
south.  At  the  distance  of  a  couple  of  miles,  we  crossed  a  small  stream, 
running  south-east,  which  we  judged  to  be  the  outlet  of  the  small  lakes 
referred  to,  and  which  is,  probably  the  source  of  Black  River,  or  the 
Eleven  points.  Our  course  led  us  in  an  opposite  direction,  and  we  soon 
found  ourselves  approaching  the  sterile  hills  which  bound  the  romantic 
valley  of  the  currents.  There  had  been  some  traces  of  wheels,  on  the 
softer  soil,  which  had  been  driven  in  this  direction  towards  the  saltpetre 
caves,  but  we  completely  lost  them,  as  we  came  to  and  ascended  these  arid 
and  rugged  steeps.  Some  of  these  steeps  rose  into  dizzy  and  romantic 
cliffs,  surmounted  with  pines.  We  wound  our  way  cautiously  amongst 
them,  to  find  some  gorge  and  depression,  through  which  we  might  enter  the 
valley.  For  ourselves  we  should  not  have  been  so  choice  of  a  path,  but 
we  had  a  pack  horse  to  lead,  and  should  he  be  precipitated  into  a  gulf,  we 
must  bid  adieu  to  our  camp  equipage.  Our  arms  and  a  single  blanket, 
would  be  all  we  could  carry.  At  length  this  summit  was  reached.  The 
view  was  enchanting.  A  winding  wooded  valley,  with  its  clear  bright 
river,  stretched  along  at  the  base  of  the  summit.  Rich  masses  of  foliage, 
hung  over  the  clear  stream,  and  were  reflected  in  its  pellucid  current,  with  a 
double  beauty.  The  autumnal  frost,  which  had  rifled  the  highland  trees 
of  their  clothing,  appeared  to  have  passed  over  this  deeply  secluded  valley 

51 


52  ADVENTURES  IN  THE    OZARK  MOUNTAINS. 

with  but  little  effect,  and  this  effect,  was  only  to  highten  the  interest  of  the 
scene,  by  imparting  to  portions  of  its  foliage,  the  liveliest  orange  and  crim 
son  tints.  And  this  was.  rendered  doubly  attractive  by  the  contrast.  Be 
hind  us  lay  the  bleak  and  barren  hills,  over  which  we  had  struggled, 
without  a  shade,  or  a  brook,  or  even  the  simplest  representative  of  the  ani 
mal  creation.  For  it  is  a  truth,  that  during  the  heat  of  the  day,  both  birds 
and  quadrupeds  betake  themselves  to  the  secluded  shades  of  the  streams 
and  vallies.  From  these  they  sally  out,  into  the  plains,  in  quest  of  food 
at  early  dawn,  and  again  just  before  night  fall.  All  the  rest  of  the  day, 
the  plains  and  highlands  have  assumed  the  silence  of  desolation.  Even 
ing  began  to  approach  as  we  cautiously  picked  our  way  down  the  cliffs, 
and  the  first  thing  we  did,  on  reaching  the  stream  was  to  take  a  hearty 
drink  of  its  crystal  treasure,  and  let  our  horse  do  the  same.  The  next  ob 
ject  was  to  seek  a  fording  place — which  was  effected  without  difficulty. 
On  mounting  the  southern  bank,  we  again  found  the  trail,  lost  in  the 
morning,  and  pursued  it  with  alacrity.  It  was  my  turn  this  day  to  be  in 
advance,  as  guide,  but  the  temptation  of  small  game,  as  we  went  up  the 
valley,  drew  me  aside,  while  Enobitti  proceeded  to  select  a  suitable  spot 
for  the  night's  encampment.  It  was  dark  when  I  rejoined  him,  with  my 
squirrel  and  pigeon  hunt.  He  had  confined  himself  closely  to  the 
trail.  It  soon  led  him  out  of  the  valley,  up  a  long  brushy  ridge,  and  then 
through  an  open  elevated  pine  grove,  which  terminated  abruptly  in  a  per 
pendicular  precipice.  Separated  from  this,  at  some  eight  hundred  yards 
distance,  stood  a  counter  precipice  of  limestone  rock,  fretted  out,  into  pin 
nacles  and  massy  walls,  with  dark  openings,  which  gave  the  whole  the 
resemblance  of  architectural  ruins.  The  stream  that  ran  between  these 
cliffs,  was  small,  and  it  lay  so  deep  and  well  embrowned  in  the  shades  of 
evening,  that  it  presented  vividly  from  this  elevation,  a  waving  bright  line 
on  a  dark  surface.  Into  this  deep  dark  terrific  glen  the  path  led,  and  here 
we  lit  our  fire,  hastily  constructed  a  bush  camp,  and  betook  ourselves, 
after  due  ablutions  in  the  little  stream,  to  a  night's  repose.  The  sky  be 
came  rapidly  overcast,  before  we  had  finished  our  meal,  and  a  night  of 
intense  darkness,  threatening  a  tempest,  set  in.  As  we  sat  by  our  fire,  its 
glare  upon  huge  beetling  points  of  overhanging  rocks,  gave  the  scene  a 
wild  and  picturesque  cast ;  and  we  anticipated  returning  daylight  with  an 
anxious  wish  to  know  and  see  our  exact  locality.  By  the  restless  tramp 
ing  of  our  horse,  and  the  tinkling  of  his  bell,  we  knew  that  he  had  found 
but  indifferent  picking. 

Daylight  fulfilled  the  predictions  of  the  evening.  We  had  rain.  It 
also  revealed  our  position  in  this  narrow,  and  romantic  glen.  A  high  wall 
of  rocks,  encompassed  us  on  either  hand,  but  they  were  not  such  as  would 
have  resulted  in  a  volcanic  country  from  a  valley  fissure.  Narrow  and 
deep  as  the  glen  was,  it  was  at  once  apparent,  that  it  was  a  valley  of  de 
nudation,  and  had  owed  its  existence  to  the  wasting  effects  of  the  trifling 


ADVENTURES  IN  THE    OZARK    MOUNTAINS.  53 

stream  within  it.  carrying  away,  particle  by  particle,  the  matter  loosened 
by  rains  and  frosts,  and  mechanical  attrition.  The  cliffs  are  exclusively 
calcareous,  and  piled  up,  mason  like,  in  horizontal  layers.  One  of  the 
most  striking  pictures  which  they  presented,  was  found  in  the  great  num 
ber,  size  and  variety  of  caves,  which  opened  into  this  calcareous  formation. 
These  caves  are  of  all  sizes,  some  of  them  very  large,  and  not  a  few  of 
them  situated  at  elevations  above  the  floor  of  the  glen,  which  forbade  ac 
cess. 

One  of  our  first  objects,  after  examining  the  neighbourhood,  was  to  re 
move  our  baggage  and  location  up  the  glen,  into  one  of  these  caves, 
which  at  the  distance  of  about  a  mile,  promised  us  an  effectual  shelter  from 
the  inclemency  of  the  storm.  This  done,  we  determined  here  to  \vait  for 
settled  weather,  and  explore  the  precincts.  By  far  the  most  prominent 
object,  among  the  caverns,  was  the  one  into  which  we  had  thus  uncere 
moniously  thrust  ourselves.  It  had  evidently  been  visited  before,  by  per 
sons  in  search  of  saltpetre  earth.  Efflorescences  of  nitric  earth,  were 
abundant  in  its  fissures,  and  this  salt  was  also  present  in  masses  of  reddish 
diluvial  earth,  which  lay  in  several  places.  The  mouth  of  this  cave  pre 
sented  a  rude  irregular  arc,  of  which  the  extreme  height  was  probably 
thirty  feet,  and  the  base  line  ninety.  The  floor  of  this  orifice  occurs,  at 
an  elevation  of  about  forty  feet  above  the  stream.  And  this  size  is  held  for 
about  two  hundred  feet,  when  it  expands  into  a  lofty  dome,  some  eighty  or 
ninety  feet  high,  and  perhaps,  three  hundred  in  diameter.  In  its  centre  a 
fine  spring  of  water  issues  from  the  rock.  From  this  dome  several  pas 
sages  lead  ofTin  different  directions. 

One  of  these  opens  into  the  glen,  at  an  inaccessible  point,  just  below. 
Another  runs  back  nearly  at  right  angles  with  the  mouth,  putting  out 
smaller  passages,  of  not  much  importance,  however,  in  its  progress.  So 
splendid  and  noble  an  entrance  gave  us  the  highest  hopes  of  finding  it  but 
the  vestibule  of  a  natural  labyrinth  ;  but  the  result  disappointed  us.  These 
ample  dimensions  soon  contract,  and  after  following  the  main  or  south 
passage  about  five  hundred  yards,  we  found  our  further  entrance  barred, 
by  masses  of  fallen  rock,  at  the  foot  of  which  a  small  stream  trickled 
through  the  broken  fragments,  and  found  its  way  to  the  mouth.  Have  we 
good  reason  to  attribute  to  this  small  stream,  a  power  sufficient  to  be  re 
garded  as  the  effective  agent  in  carrying  away  the  calcareous  rock,  so  as 
to  have  in  a  long  period  produced  the  orifice?  Whence  then,  it  may  be 
asked,  the  masses  of  compact  reddish  clay  and  pebble  diluvium,  which 
exist  ?  These  seem  rather  to  denote  that  these  caves  were  open  orifices, 
during  the  period  of  oceanic  action,  upon  the  surface  of  the  Ozarks.  and 
that  a  mass  of  waters,  surcharged  with  such  materials,  flowed  into  pre 
existing  caverns.  This  diluvium  is,  in  truth,  of  the  same  era  as  the  wide 
spread  stream  of  like  kind,  which  has  been  deposited  over  the  metalliferous 
region  of  Missouri.  If  these,  however,  be  questions  for  geological  doubt, 


54         ADVENTURES  IN  THE  OZARK  MOUNTAINS. 

we  had  lit  upon  another  inquiry,  very  prominent  on  our  minds  in 
making  this  exploration,  namely,  whether  there  were  any  wild  beasts 
sheltered  in  its  fissures.  Satisfied  that  we  were  safe  on  this  score,  we  re 
traced  our  footsteps  to  our  fire,  and  sallied  out  to  visit  other  caves.  Most 
of  these  were  at  such  heights  as  prevented  access  to  them.  In  one  in 
stance,  a  tree  had  fallen  against  the  face  of  the  cliff,  in  such  a  manner, 
that  by  climbing  it  to  its  forks,  and  taking  one  of  the  latter,  the  opening 
might  be  reached.  Putting  a  small  mineral  hammer  in  my  pocket,  I  as 
cended  this  tree,  and  found  the  cave  accessible.  It  yielded  some  wax- 
yellow  and  white  translucent  stalactites,  and  also  very  delicate  white  crys 
tals  of  nitre.  The  dimensions  of  this  cave  were  small,  and  but  little 
higher  than  to  enable  a  man  to  stand  upright. 

In  each  of  the  caves  of  this  glen  which  I  entered,  during  a  halt  of 
several  days  in  this  vicinity,  I  looked  closely  about  for  fossil  bones,  but 
without  success  in  any  instance.  The  only  article  of  this  kind  observed 
was  the  recent  leg  and  foot  bones  and  vertebra  of  the  bos  musarius, 
which  appeared  to  be  an  inhabitant  of  the  uppermost  fissures  in  these  cal 
careous  cliffs,  but  I  never  saw  the  living  species,  although  I  ranged  along 
their  summits  and  bases,  with  my  gun  and  hammer,  at  various  hours. 
Some  of  the  compact  lime  stone  in  the  bed  of  the  creek  exhibited  a  striped 
and  jaspery  texture.  The  wood-duck  and  the  duck  and  mallard  some 
times  frequented  this  secluded  stream,  and  it  was  a  common  resort  for  the 
wild  turkey,  at  a  certain  hour  in  the  evening.  This  bird  seemed  at  such 
times  to  come  in  thirsty,  from  its  ranges  in  quest  of  acorns  on  the  up 
lands,  and  its  sole  object  appeared  to  be  to  drink.  Sitting  in  the  mouth 
of  our  cave,  we  often  had  a  fine  opportunity  to  see  flocks  of  these  noisy 
and  fine  birds  flying  down  from  the  cliffs,  and  perching  on  the  trees  below 
us.  If  they  came  to  roost,  as  well  as  to  slack  their  thirst,  a  supposition 
probable,  this  was  an  ill-timed  movement,  so  long  as  we  inhabited  the  glen, 
for  they  only  escaped  the  claw  and  talons  of  one  enemy,  to  fall  before  the 
fire-lock  of  the  other.  This  bird,  indeed,  proved  our  best  resource  on  the 
journey,  for  we  travelled  with  too  much  noise  and  want  of  precaution 
generally,  to  kill  the  deer  and  elk,  which,  however,  were  abundant  on  the 
highland  plains. 

We  passed  three  days  at  the  Glen  Cave,  during  which  there  were  se 
veral  rains ;  it  stormed  one  entire  day,  and  we  employed  the  time  of  this 
confinement,  in  preparing  for  the  more  intricate  and  unknown  parts  of 
our  journey.  Hitherto  we  had  pursued  for  the  most  of  the  way,  a  trail, 
and  were  cheered  on  our  way,  by  sometimes  observing  traces  of  human 
labour.  But,  from  this  point  we  were  to  plunge  into  a  perfect  wilderness, 
without  a  trace  or  track.  We  had  before  us.  that  portion  of  the  Ozark 
range,  which  separates  to  the  right  and  left,  the  waters  of  the  Missouri 
from  those  of  the  Mississippi.  It  was  supposed,  from  the  best  reports,  that 
by  holding  south-west,  across  these  eminences,  we  should  strike  the  valley 


ADVENTURES    IN    THE    OZARK    MOUNTAINS.  55 

oi  the  White  River,  which  interposed  itself  between  our  position  there 
and  the  Arkansas.  To  enter  upon  this  tract,  with  our  compass  only  as  a 
guide,  and  with  the  certainty  of  finding  no  nutritious  grass  for  our  horse, 
required  that  we  should  lighten  and  curtail  our  baggage  as  much  as  pos 
sible,  and  put  all  our  effects  into  the  most  compact  and  portable  form. 
And  having  done  this,  and  the  weather  proving  settled,  we  followed  a 
short  distance  up  the  Glen  of  Caves  ;  but  finding  it  to  lead  too  directly 
west,  we  soon  left  it  and  mounted  the  hills  which  line  its  southern  border. 
A  number  of  latter  valleys,  covered  with  thick  brush,  made  this  a  labour 
by  no  means  slight.  The  surface  was  rough;  vegetat.on  sere  and  dry, 
and  every  thicket  which  spread  before  us,  presented  an  obstacle  which  was 
to  be  overcome.  We  could  have  penetrated  many  of  these,  which  the 
horse  could  not  be  forced  through.  Such  parts  of  our  clothing  as  did  not 
consist  'of  buckskin,  paid  frequent  tribute  to  these  brambles.  At  length 
we  got  clear  of  these  spurs,  and  entered  on  a  high  waving  table  land  where 
travelling  became  comparatively  easy.  The  first  view  of  this  vista  of 
nigh  land  plains  was  magnificent.  It  was  covered  with  moderate  sized 
sere  grass  and  dry  seed  pods,  which  rustled  as  we  passed.  There  was 
scarcely  an  object  deserving  the  name  of  a  tree,  except,  now  and  then,  a 
solitary  trunk  of  a  dead  pine,  or  oak,  which  had  been  scathed  by  light 
ning.  The  bleached  skull  of  the  buffalo,  was  sometimes  met,  and  proved 
that  this  animal  had  once  existed  here.  Rarely  we  passed  a  stunted  oak? 
sometimes  a  cluster  of  saplings  crowned  the  summit  of  a  sloping  hill  |  the 
deer  often  bounded  before  us ;  we  sometimes  disturbed  the  hare  from  its 
sheltering  bush,  or  put  to  flight  the  quail  or  the  prairie  hen.  There  was 
no  prominent  feature  for  the  eye  to  rest  upon.  The  unvaried  prospect 
produced  satiety.  We  felt  in  a  peculiar  manner  the  solitariness  of  the 
wilderness.  We  travelled  silently  and  diligently.  It  was  a  dry  and  thirsty 
barren.  From  morning  till  sun  set  we  did  not  encounter  a  drop  of  water. 
This  became  the  absorbing  object.  Hill  after  hill,  and  vale  after  vale 
were  patiently  seanned;  and  diligently  footed,  without  bringing  the  ex 
pected  boon.  At  length  we  came,  without  the  expectation  of  it,  to  a  small 
running  stream  in  the  plain,  where  we  gladly  encamped.  There  was 
also  some  grass  which  preserved  a  greenish  hue,  and  which  enabled  our 
horse  also  to  recruit  himself. 

Early  the  next  morning  we  repacked  him,  and  continued  our  course, 
travelling  due  west  south-west.  At  the  distance  of  five  or  six  miles,  we 
reached  the  banks  of  a  clear  stream  of  twenty  feet  wide,  running  over  a 
bed  of  pebbles  and  small  secondary  boulders.  This  stream  ran  towards 
the  north  west,  and  gave  us  the  first  intimation  we  had,  that  we  had 
crossed  the  summit  and  were  on  the  off  drain  of  the  Missouri.  We  sup 
posed  it  to  be  the  source  of  the  Gasconade,  or  at  farthest  some  eastern  tri 
butary  of  the  Little  Osage. 

A  few  hours  travelling  brought  us  to  the  banks  of  another  stream  of 


56  ADVENTURES    IN   THE    OZARK    MOUNTAINS. 

much  larger  size  and  depth,  but  running  in  the  same  direction.  This 
stream  we  found  it  difficult  to  cross,  and  spent  several  hours  in  heaping 
piles  of  stone,  and  connecting  them  with  dry  limbs  of  trees,  which  had 
been  carried  down  by  floods.  It  had  a  rapid  and  deep  current,  on  each 
side  of  which  was  a  wide  space  of  shallow  water  and  rolled  boulders  of 
lime  and  sand  stone.  We  succeeded  in  driving  the  horse  safely  over. 
Enobitti  led  the  way  on  our  frail  bridge-work,  but  disturbed  the  last  link 
of  it  as  he  jumped  off  on  the  south  bank,  so  that  it  turned  under  my  tread 
and  let  me  in.  There  was  no  kind  of  danger  in  the  fall  as  it  was  in  the 
shallow  part  of  the  stream,  but  putting  out  my  hands  to  break  the  fall,  it  so 
happened  that  my  whole  weight  rested  on  my  gun,  which  was  supported 
on  two  stones,  merely  on  its  butt  and  muzzle  ;  the  effect  was  to  wrench  the 
barrel.  I  gave  it  a  counter  wrench  as  soon  as  we  encamped,  but  I  never 
afterwards  could  place  full  confidence  in  it.  We  had  not  gone  over  three 
or  four  miles  beyond  this  river,  when  we  came  to  the  banks  of  a  third 
stream,  running  west,  but  also  sweeping  off  below,  towards  the  north 
west.  This  stream  was  smaller  than  the  former  and  opposed  no  dif 
ficulty  in  fording  it.  Having  done  this  we  followed  it  up  a  short  distance^ 
and  encamped  on  its  south  banks. 


CHAPTER    IV. 


Hearsay  information  of  the  hunters  turns  out  false — We  alter  our  course — A  bear 
huit — An  accident — Another  rencontre  with  bears — Strike  the  source  of  the  Great 
North  Fork  of  White  River — Journey  down  this  valley — Its  character  and  productions 
— A  great  Spring — Incidents  of  the  route — Pack  horse  rolls  down  a  precipice — Plunges 
in  Ihe  river — A  cavern — Osage  lodges — A  hunter's  hut. 

IT  was  now  manifest,  from  our  crossing  the  last  two  streams,  that  we 
were  going  too  far  north — that  we  were  in  fact  in  the  valley  of  the  Mis 
souri  proper ;  and  that  the  information  obtained  of  the  hunters  on  the  source 
of  the  Merrimack,  was  not  to  be  implicitly  relied  on.  It  is  not  probable  that 
one  of  the  persons  who  gave  this  information  had  ever  been  here.  It  was 
a  region  they  were  kept  out  of  by  the  fear  of  the  Osages,  as  our  own  ex 
perience  in  the  case  of  Roberts  denoted.  Willing  to  test  it  farther,  how 
ever,  we  followed  down  the  last  named  stream  a  few  miles,  in  the  hope  of 
its  turning  south  or  south-west,  but  it  went  off  in  another  direction.  We 
then  came  to  a  halt,  and  after  consulting  together,  steered  our  course  due 
south  south-west,  thus  varying  our  general  course  from  the  caves.  This 
carried  us  up  a  long  range  of  wooded  highlands.  The  forest  here  as 
sumed  a  handsome  growth.  We  passed  through  a  track  of  the  over-cup 
oak,  interspersed  with  hickory,  and  had  reached  the  summit  of  an  elevated 
wooded  ridge,  when  just  as  we  gained  the  highest  point,  we  discovered 
four  bears  on  a  large  oak,  in  the  valley  before  us.  Three  of  the  number 
were  probably  cubs,  and  with  their  dam,  they  were  regaling  themselves 
on  the  ripe  acorns  without  observing  us.  We  had  sought  no  opportunities 
to  hunt,  and  given  up  no  especial  time  to  it,  but  here  was  too  fair  a  chal 
lenge  to  be  neglected.  We  tied  our  horse  securely  to  a  sapling,  and  then 
examining  our  pieces,  and  putting  down  an  extra  ball,  set  out  to  descend 
ihe  hill  as  cautiously  as  possible.  An  unlucky  slip  of  Enobitti  threw  him 
with  force  forward  and  sprained  his  ankle.  He  lay  for  a  short  time  in 
agony.  This  noise  alarmed  the  bears,  who  one  after  the  other  quickly 
ran  in  from  the  extremities  of  the  1'mbs  to  the  trunk,  which  they  descended 

57 


58  ADVENTURES  IN  THE    OZARK  MOUNTAINS. 

head  first,  and  scampered  clumsily  off  up  the  valley.  I  pursued  tnem 
without  minding  my  companion,  not  knowing,  indeed  how  badly  he  was 
hurt,  but  was  compelled  to  give  up  the  chase,  as  the  tall  grass  finally  pre 
vented  my  seeing  what  course  they  had  taken.  I  now  returned  to  my 
companion.  He  could  not  stand  at  first,  nor  walk  when  he  arose,  and  the 
first  agony  had  passed.  I  proposed  to  mount  him  on  the  pack  horse,  and 
lead  him  slowly  up  the  valley,  and  this  plan  was  carried  into  effect.  But 
he  endured  too  much  suffering  to  bear  even  this.  The  ankle  began  to  in 
flame.  There  was  nothing  but  rest  and  continued  repose  that  promised 
relief.  I  selected  a  fine  grassy  spot  to  encamp,  unpacked  the  horse,  bailt 
a  fire,  and  got  my  patie*nt  comfortably  stretched  on  his  pallet.  But  little 
provision  had  been  made  at  Potosi  in  the  medical  department.  My  whole 
store  of  pharmacy  consisted  of  some  pills  and  salves,  and  a  few  simple 
articles.  The  only  thing  I  could  think  of  as  likely  to  be  serviceable,  vas 
in  our  culinary  pack, — it  was  a  little  sack  of  salt,  and  of  this  I  mads  a 
solution  in  warm  water  and  bathed  the  ankle.  I  then  replenished  ihe 
fire  and  cut  some  wood  to  renew  it.  It  was  still  early  in  the  day,  2nd 
leaving  my  companion  to  rest,  and  to  the  effect  of  the  remedy  offered,  I 
took  my  gun  and  strolled  over  the  adjoining  hills,  in  hopes  of  bringing 
in  some  pigeons,  or  other  small  game.  But  it  was  a  time  of  day  when 
both  birds  and  quadrupeds  have  finished  their  mornings  repast,  and  retiree? 
to  the  groves  or  fastnesses.  I  saw  nothing  but  the  little  grey  bunting, 
and  the  noisy  jay.  When  I  returned  to  our  camp  in  the  vale  I  found  my 
companion  easier.  The  bathing  had  sensibly  alleviated  the  pain  and 
swelling.  It  was  therefore  diligently  renewed,  and  the  next  morning  he 
was  so  far  improved,  that  he  consented  to  try  the  pack  horse  again.  We  had 
not,  however,  travelled  far,  when  two  large  bears  were  seen  before  us  play 
ing  in  the  grass,  and  so  engaged  in  their  sport,  that  they  did  not  perceive  us. 
We  were  now  on  the  same  level  with  them,  and  quickly  prepared  to  give 
them  battle.  My  companion  dismounted  as  easily  as  possible,  and  having 
secured  the  horse  and  examined  our  arms,  we  reached  a  stand  within  firing 
distance.  It  was  not  till  this  moment  that  our  approach  was  discovered  by 
them,  and  the  first  thing  they  did  after  running  a  few  yards,  was  to  sit  up  in 
the  grass  and  gaze  at  us.  Having  each  singled  his  animal,  we  fired  at  the 
same  instant.  Both  animals  fled,  but  on  reaching  the  spot  where  my 
mark  had  sat,  blood  was  copiously  found  on  the  grass,  and  a  pursuit  was 
the  consequence.  I  followed  him  up  a  long  ridge,  but  he  passed  over  the 
summit  so  far  before  me,  that  I  lost  sight  of  him.  I  came  to  a  large  hol 
low  black  oak,  in  the  direction  he  had  disappeared,  which  showed  the  nail 
marks  of  some  animal,  which  I  believed  to  be  his.  While  exa 
mining  these  signs  more  closely  my  companion  made  his  appear 
ance.  How  he  had  got  there  I  know  not.  The  excitement  had  well 
nigh  cured  his  ancle  He  stood  by  the  orifice,  while  I  went  for 
the  axe  to  our  camp,  and  when  I  was  tired  chopping,  he  laid  hold. 


ADVENTURES  IN  THE  OZARK  MOUNTAINS.         59 

We  chopped  alternately,  and  big  as  it  was,  the  tree  at  last  came  down 
with  a  crash  that  made  the  forest  ring.  For  a  foxy  moments  we  looked  at 
the  huge  and  partly  broken  trunk  as  if  a  bear  vrouicl  start  from  it;  but  all 
was  silence.  We  thoroughly  searched  the  hollow  part  but  found  nothing. 
I  went  over  another  ridge  of  forest  land,  started  a  noble  elk,  but  saw 
nothing  more  of  my  bear.  Here  terminated  this  adventure.  We  retraced 
our  footsteps  back  to  the  valley,  and  proceeded  on  our  route.  This  inci 
dent  had  led  us  a  little  south  of  our  true  course ;  and  it  so  turned  out  that 
it  was  at  a  point,  where  a  mile  or  two  one  way  or  the  other,  was  calculated 
to  make  a  wide  difference  in  the  place  of  our  exit  into  the  valley  of  White 
River  ;  for  we  were  on  a  high  broken  summit  ridge,  from  which  several 
important  streams  originated.  The  pursuit  of  the  bear  had  carried  us 
near  to  the  head  of  the  valley,  and  by  crossing  the  intervening  summit,  we 
found  ourselves  at  the  head  springs  of  an  important  stream,  which  in  due 
time  we  learned  was  the  Great  North  Fork  of  White  River.  This  stream 
begins  to  develope  itself  m  pools,  or  standing  springs,  which  soak  through 
the  gravel  and  boulders,  and  it  is  many  miles  before  it  assumes  the  cha 
racter  of  a  continuous  stream.  Even  then  it  proceeds  in  plateaux  or 
steps,  on  which  the  water  has  a  level,  and  the  next  succeeding  level  below 
it  has  its  connection  with  it,  through  a  rapid.  In  fact,  the  whole  stream, 
till  near  its  mouth,  is  one  series  of  these  lake-like  levels,  and  short  rapids, 
each  level  sinking  lower  and  lower,  till,  like  the  locks  in  a  canal,  the  last 
flows  out  on  a  level  with  its  final  recipient.  But  however  its  waters  are 
congregated,  they  are  all  pure  and  colourless  as  rock  crystal,  and  well  vin 
dicate  the  propriety  of  their  original  name  of  la  Riviere  Blanc.  They  all 
originate  in  mountain  springs,  are  cool  and  sparkling,  and  give  assurance 
in  this  feature,  that  they  will  carry  health  to  the  future  inhabitants  of  the 
valley  through  which  they  flow.  With  the  first  springs  begins  to  be  seen 
a  small  growth  of  the  cane,  which  is  found  a  constant  species  on  its  bot 
tom  lands.  This  plant  becomes  high  in  more  southern  latitudes,  and  being 
intertwined  with  the  green  briar,  renders  it  very  difficult,  as  we  soon  found, 
to  penetrate  it,  especially  with  a  horse.  Man  can  endure  a  thousand  ad 
ventures  and  hardships  where  a  horse  would  die ;  and  it  would  require  no 
further  testimony  than  this  journey  gave,  to  convince  me,  that  providence 
designed  the  horse  for  a  state  of  civilization. 

We  followed  the  course  of  these  waters  about  six  miles,  and  emcamped. 
It  was  evidently  the  source  of  a  stream  of  some  note.  It  ran  in  the  re 
quired  direction,  and  although  we  did  not  then  know,  that  it  was  the 
valley  of  the  Great  North  Fork  of  White  River,  we  were  satisfied  it  was 
a  tributary  of  the  latter  stream,  and  determined  to  pursue  it.  This  we 
did  for  twelve  days,  before  we  met  with  a  human  being,  white  or  red.  It 
rapidly  developed  itself,  as  we  went,  and  unfolded  an  important  valley,  of 
rich  soil,  bearing  a  vigorous  growth  of  forest  trees,  and  enclosed  on  either 
hand,  by  elevated  limestone  cliffs.  Nothing  could  exceed  the  purity  of 


60  ADVENTURES    IN    THE    OZARK    MOUNTAINS. 

its  waters,  which  bubbled  up  in  copious  springs,  from  the  rock,  or  pebble 
stratum.  For  a  long  distance  the  stream  increased  from  such  accessions 
alone,  without  large  and  independent  tributaries.  On  the  second  day's 
travel,  we  came  to  a  spring,  of  this  crystal  character,  which  we  judged  to 
be  about  fifty  feet  across,  at  the  point  of  its  issue  from  the  rock  and  soil. 
Its  outlet  after  running  about  a  thousand  yards,  joined  the  main  stream,  to 
which  it  brings  a  volume  fully  equal  to  it.  This  spring  I  named  the  Elk 
Spring,  from  the  circumstance  of  finding  a  large  pair  of  the  horns  of  this 
animal,  partly  buried  in  the  leaves,  at  a  spot  where  I  stooped  down  to 
drink.  I  took  the  horns,  and  hung  them  in  the  forks  of  a  young  oak 
tree. 

We  found  abundance  of  game  in  this  valley.  There  was  not  an  entire 
day,  I  think,  until  we  got  near  the  hunters'  camps,  that  we  did  not  see 
either  the  bear,  elk,  or  deer,  or  their  recent  signs.  Flocks  of  the  wild  tur 
key  were  of  daily  occurrence.  The  gray  squirrel  frequently  sported  on 
the  trees,  and  as  the  stream  increased  in  size,  we  found  the  duck,  brant 
and  swan. 

There  were  two  serious  objections,  however,  in  travelling  down  a 
wooded  valley.  Its  shrubbery  was  so  thick  and  rank  that  it  was  next  to 
impossible  to  force  the  pack  horse  through  it.  Wherever  the  cane  abounds, 
and  this  comprehends  all  its  true  alluvions,  it  is  found  to  be  matted  to 
gether,  as  it  were,  with  the  green  briar  and  grape  vine.  So  much  noise 
attended  the  effort  at  any  rate,  that  the  game  generally  fled  before  us,  and 
had  it  not  been  for  small  game,  we  should  have  often  wanted  a  meal. 
With  every  effort,  we  could  not  make  an  average  of  more  than  fourteen 
miles  a  day.  The  river  was  so  tortuous  too,  that  we  could  not  count, 
on  making  more  than  half  this  distance,  in  a  direct  line.  To  remedy 
these  evils  we  sometimes  went  out  of  the  valley,  on  the  open  naked  plains. 
It  was  a  relief,  but  had,  in  the  end,  these  difficulties,  that  while  the  plains 
exposed  us  to  greater  heats  in  travelling,  they  afforded  no  water,  and  we 
often  lost  much  time  in  the  necessity,  we  were  under,  towards  night-fall,  of 
going  back  to  the  valley  for  water.  Neither  was  it  found  to  be  safe 
to  travel  far  separated,  for  there  were  many  causes  of  accident,  which 
rendered  mutual  assistance  desirable.  One  day,  while  Enobitti  led  the 
horse,  and  was  conducting  him  from  a  lofty  ridge,  to  get  into  the 
valley,  the  animal  stumbled,  and  rolled  to  the  bottom.  We  thought 
every  bone  in  his  body  had  been  broke,  but  he  had  been  protected  by  his 
pack,  and  we  found  that  he  was  but  little  injured,  and  when  repacked, 
still  capable  of  going  forward.  On  another  occasion,  I  had  been  leading 
him  for  several  hours,  along  a  high  terrace  of  cliffs  on  the  left  banks 
where  this  terrace  was,  as  it  were,  suddenly  cut  off  by  the  intersection  of 
a  lateral  valley.  The  view  was  a  sublime  one,  standing  at  the  pinna 
cle  of  junction  ;  but  there  was  no  possible  way  of  descent,  and  it  was  neces 
sary  to  retrace  my  steps,  a  long — long  way.  As  an  instance  of  the  very 


ADVENTURES    IN  THE    OZARK    MOUNTAINS.  61 

tortuous  character  of  this  stream,  I  will  mention  that  a  rocky  peninsula, 
causing  a  bend  which  it  took  my  companion  some  two  hours  to  pass, 
with  the  horse,  I  had  crossed  in  less  than  twenty  minutes,  with  my 
hammer  and  gun.  When  we  had,  as  we  supposed,  become  familiar 
with  every  species  of  impediment  and  delay,  in  descending  the  valley,  a 
new,  and  very  serious  and  unexpected  one,  arose  one  day,  in  crossing  the 
stream,  from  the  left  to  the  right  bank.  It  was  my  turn  to  be  muleteer 
that  day,  and  I  had  selected  a  ford  where  the  river  was  not  wide,  and  the 
water,  apparently,  some  two  or  three  feet  deep.  I  judged  from  the  clearness 
of  the  pebbles  at  the  bottom,  and  their  apparent  nearness  to  the  surface. 
But  such  was  the  transparency  of  the  water,  that  a  wide  mistake  was 
made.  We  had  nearly  lost  the  horse,  he  plunged  in  over  head,  could  not 
touch  bottom,  and  when  with  great  ado,  we  had  got  him  up  the  steep  bank 
on  the  other  side,  he  was  completely  exhausted.  But  this  was  not  the  extent 
of  the  evil.  Our  sugar  and  salt  were  dissolved.  Our  meal,  of  which  a  little 
still  remained,  was  spoiled.  Our  tea  was  damaged, — our  blankets  and  cloth 
ing  wetted, — our  whole  pack  soaked.  The  horse  had  been  so  long  in 
the  water,  in  our  often  fruitless  efforts  to  get  him  to  some  part  of  the  bank 
depressed  enough,  to  pull  him  up,  that  nothing  had  escaped  its  effects. 
We  encamped  on  the  spot,  and  spent  the  rest  of  the  day  in  drying  our 
effects,  and  expelling  from  our  spare  garments  the  superfluous  moisture. 
The  next  day  we  struck  out  into  the  high  plains,  on  the  right  bank,  and 
made  a  good  day's  journey.  The  country  was  nearly  level,  denuded  of 
trees,  with  sere  autumnal  grass.  Often  the  prairie  hen  started  up,  but 
we  saw  nothing  in  the  animal  creation  beside,  save  a  few  hares,  as  even 
ing  came  on.  To  find  water  for  the  horse,  and  ourselves,  we  were 
again  compelled  to  approach  the  valley.  We  at  length  entered  a  dry  and 
desolate  gorge,  without  grass  or  water.  Night  came  on,  but  no  sound 
or  sight  of  water  occurred.  We  were  sinking  deeper  and  deeper  into  the 
rocky  structure  of  the  country  at  every  step,  and  soon  found  there  were 
'  hio-h  cliffs  on  either  side  of  us.  What  we  most  feared  now  occurred.  It 

O 

became  dark,  the  clouds  had  threatened  foul  weather  and  it  now  began  to 
rain.  Had  it  not  been  for  a  cavern,  which  disclosed  itself,  in  one  of 
these  calcareous  cliffs,  we  must  have  passed  a  miserable  night.  On  enter 
ing  it,  we  found  a  spring  of  water.  It  was  too  high  in  the  cliff  to  get  the 
horse  in,  but  we  carried  him  water  in  a  vessel.  He  was  afterwards  hob 
bled,  and  left  to  shift  for  himself.  On  striking  a  fire,  in  the  cave,  its  rays 
disclosed  masses  of  stalactites,  and  a  dark  avenue  into  the  rocks  back. 
Having  made  a  cup  of  tea  and  finished  our  repast,  we  determined  to  ex 
plore  the  cave  before  lying  down  to  rest,  lest  we  might  be  intruded  on  by 
some  wild  animal  before  morning.  A  torch  of  pine  wood  was  soon  made, 
which  guided  our  footsteps  into  the  dismal  recess,  but  we  found  nothing 
of  the  kind.  On  returning  to  our  fire,  near  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  we 
found  the  rain  had  increased  to  a  heavy  shower,  and  the  vivid  flashes  of 


62  ADVENTURES    IN    THE    OZARK    MOUNTAINS. 

lightning,  illumined  with  momentary  brilliancy,  the  dark  and  frowning 
precipices  of  this  romantic  gorge.  The  excitement  and  novelty  of  our  po 
sition,  served  to  drive  away  sleep,  notwithstanding  a  long  day's  march,  and 
it  was  late  before  we  sought  repose. 

Morning  brought  a  clear  sky,  but  the  horse  was  gone.  He  had  fol 
lowed  on  the  back  track,  up  the  glen,  in  search  of  something  to  feed  upon, 
and  was  not  found  till  we  reached  the  skirts  of  the  plains.  The  whole 
morning  was  indeed,  lost  in  reclaiming  him,  and  we  then  set  forward 
again  and  returned  to  the  North  Fork  valley.  We  found  it  had  assumed 
a  greater  expanse,  at  the  point  of  our  re-entry,  which  it  maintained,  and 
increased,  as  we  pursued  it  down.  Wide  open  oak  plains  extended 
on  the  left  bank,  which  appeared  very  eligible  for  the  purposes  of  set 
tlement.  On  an  oak  tree,  at  this  spot,  we  observed  some  marks,  which 
had  probably  been  made  by  some  enterprising  land  explorer.  With  these 
improved  evidences  of  its  character  for  future  occupation,  we  found  the 
travelling  easier.  Within  a  few  miles  travel,  we  noticed  a  tributary  com 
ing  in  on  the  left  bank,  and  at  a  lower  point  another  on  the  left.  The 
first  stream  had  this  peculiarity,  that  its  waters  came  in  at  a  right  angle, 
with  the  parent  stream,  and  with  such  velocity  as  to  pass  directly  across 
its  channel  to  the  opposite  bank.  In  this  vicinity,  we  saw  many  of  the 
deserted  pole  camps  of  the  Osages,  none  of  which  appeared,  however,  to 
have  been  recently  occupied.  So  far,  indeed,  we  had  met  no  hindrance,  or 
annoyance  from  this  people ;  we  had  not  even  encountered  a  single  mem 
ber  of  the  tribe,  and  felt  assured  that  the  accounts  we  had  received  of  their 
cruelty  and  rapacity,  had  been  grossly  exaggerated,  or  if  not  wholly 
overcoloured,  they  must  have  related  to  a  period  in  their  history,  which 
was  now  well  nigh  past.  We  could  not  learn  that  they  had  hunted  on 
these  lands,  during  late  years,  and  were  afterwards  given  to  understand 
that  they  had  ceded  them  to  the  United  States  by  a  treaty  concluded  at  St. 
Louis.  From  whatever  causes,  however,  the  district  had  been  left  free 
from  their  roving  parties,  it  was  certain  that  the  game  had  recovered  un 
der  such  a  cessation  of  the  chase.  The  black  bear,  deer  and  elk,  were 
abundant.  We  also  frequently  saw  signs  of  the  labours  of  the  beaver 
along  the  valley.  I  had  the  good  luck,  one  day,  while  in  advance  with 
my  gun,  of  beholding  two  of  these  animals,  at  play  in  the  stream,  and  ob 
serving  their  graceful  motions.  My  position  was,  within  point  blank  shot 
of  them,  but  I  was  screened  from  their  gaze.  I  sat,  with  gun  cocked, 
meaning  to  secure  one  of  them  after  they  came  to  the  shore.  Both  ani 
mals  came  out  together,  and  sat  on  the  bank  at  the  edge  of  the  river,  a 
ledge  of  rocks  being  in  the  rear  of  them.  The  novelty  of  the  sight  led 
me  to  pause,  and  admire  them,  when,  all  of  a  sudden,  they  darted  into  a 
crevice  in  the  rock. 

On  the  second  day  after  re-entering  the  valley,  we  descried,  on  descend 
ing  a  long  slope  of  rising  ground,  a  hunter's  cabin,  covered  with  narrow 


ADVENTURES  IN  THE  OZARK  MOUNTAINS.         63 

oak  boards,  split  with  a  frow;  and  were  exhilarated  with  the  idea  of  find 
ing  it  occupied.  But  this  turned  out  a  delusive  hope.  It  had  been  de 
serted,  from  appearance,  the  year  before.  We  found,  among  the  surround 
ing  weeds,  a  few  stems  of  the  cotton  plant,  which  had  grown  up  from 
seeds,  accidentally  dropped.  The  bolls  had  opened.  I  picked  out  the 
cotton  to  serve  as  a  material  in  lighting  my  carnp  fires,  at  night,  this  be 
ing  a  labour  which  I  had  taken  the  exclusive  management  of.  The  site 
of  this  camp,  had  been  well  chosen.  There  was  a  small  stream  in  front, 
and  a  heavy  rich  cane  bottom  behind  it,  extending  to  the  banks  of  the 
river.  A  handsome  point  of  woodlands  extended  north  of  it,  from  the 
immediate  door  of  the  camp.  And  although  somewhat  early  in  the  day, 
we  determined  to  encamp,  and  soon  made  ourselves  masters  of  the  fabric, 
and  sat  down  before  a  cheerful  fire,  with  a  title  to  occupancy,  whj.ch  tJaere 
was  no  one  to  dispute. 


THE  BIRD. 

VERSIFIED  FROM  THE  GERMAN  OF  GESSNER :  1812. 

A  swam,  as  he  strayed  through  the  grove, 
Had  caught  a  young  bird  on  a  spray — 

What  a  gift,  he  exclaimed,  for  my  love, 
How  beautiful,  charming,  and  gay. 

With  rapture  he  viewed  the  fair  prize, 
And  listened  with  joy  to  its  chat, 

As  with  haste  to  the  meadow  he  hies 
To  secure  it  beneath  his  straw  hat. 

I  will  make  of  yon  willows  so  gay, 
A  cage  for  my  prisoner  to  mourn, 

Then  to  Delia,  the  gift  I'll  convey, 
And  beg  for  a  kiss  in  return. 

She  will  grant  me  that  one,  I  am  sure, 
For  a  present  so  rare  and  so  gay, 

And  I  easily  can  steal  a  few  more 
And  bear  them  enraptured  away. 

He  returned :  but  imagine  his  grief, 
The  wind  had  his  hat  overthrown, 

And  the  bird,  in  the  joy  of  relief, 
Away  with  his  kisses  had  flown. 

H.  R.  & 


PERSONAL  INCIDENTS  AND  IMPRESSIONS  OF  THE  INDIAN  RACE, 
DRAWN  FROM  NOTES  OF  TRAVEL  AND  RESIDENCE  IN  THEIR 
TERRITORIES. 

CHARACTER  OF  THE  RED  MAN  OF  AMERICA. 

INQUIRY  I. — What  kind  of  a  being  is  the  North  American  Indian  ? — Have  we  judged 
rightly  of  him  ? — What  are  his  peculiar  traits,  his  affections,  and  his  intellectual 
qualities? — Is  he  much  influenced  by  his  religion,  his  mode  of  government,  and  his 
complicated  language. 

MY  earliest  impressions  of  the  Indian  race,  were  drawn  from  the  fire 
side  rehearsals  of  incidents  which  had  happened  during  the  perilous 
times  of  the  American  revolution  ;  in  which  my  father  was  a  zealous  actor, 
and  were  all  inseparably  connected  with  the  fearful  ideas  of  the  Indian 
yell,  the  tomahawk,  the  scalping-  knife,  and  the  fire  brand.  In  these  reci 
tals,  the  Indian  was  depicted  as  the  very  impersonation  of  evil — a  sort  of 
wild  demon,  who  delighted  in  nothing  so  much  as  blood 'and  murder, 
Whether  he  had  mind,  was  governed  by  any  reasons,  or  even  had  any 
soul,  nobody  inquired,  and  nobody  cared.  It  was  always  represented  as  a 
meritorious  act  in  old  revolutionary  reminiscences,  to  have  killed  one  of 
them  in  the  border  wars,  and  thus  aided  in  ridding  the  land  of  a  cruel  and 
unnatural  race,  in  whom  all  feelings  of  pity,  justice,  and  mercy,  were 
supposed  to  be  obliterated.  These  early  ideas  were  sustained  by  printed 
narratives  of  captivity  and  hair-breadth  escapes  of  men  and  women  from 
their  clutches,  which,  from  time  to  time,  fell  into  my  hands,  so  that  long 
before  I  was  ten  years  old,  I  had  a  most  definite  and  terrific  idea  impressed 
on  my  imagination  of  what  was  sometimes  called  in  my  native  precincts, 
"  the  bow  and  arrow  race." 

To  give  a  definite  conception  of  the  Indian  man,  there  lived  in  my  na 
tive  valley,  a  family  of  Indians  of  the  Troquois  stock,  who  often  went  off 

64 


PERSONAL    INCIDENTS    AND    IMPRESSIONS.  65 

o  their  people  in  the  west,  and  as  often  returned  again,  as  if  they  were  a 
^roop  of  genii,  or  the  ghosts  of  the  departed,  who  came  to  haunt  the  nut 
wood  forests,  and  sub-vallies  of  the  sylvan  Tawasenthaw,  which  their  an 
cestors  had  formerly  possessed,  and  to  which  they  still  claimed  some  right. 
In  this  family,  which  was  of  the  Oneida  tribe,  and  consisted  of  the  hus 
band  and  wife,  with  two  grown  up  sons,  I  first  saw  those  characteristic 
features  of  the  race, — namely,  a  red  skin,  with  bright  black  eyes,  and 
black  straight  hair.  They  were  mild  and  docile  in  their  deportment,  and 
were  on  friendly  terms  with  the  whole  settlement,  whom  they  furnished 
with  neatly  made  baskets  of  the  linden  wood,  split  very  thin,  and  coloured 
to  impart  variety,  and  with  nice  ash  brooms.  These  fabrics  made 
them  welcome  guests  with  every  good  housewife,  who  had  forgotten  the 
horrific  stories  of  the  revolution,  and  who  was  ever  ready  to  give  a  chair 
and  a  plate,  and  a  lodging  place  by  the  kitchen  fire,  to  poor  old  Isaac  and 
Anna,  for  so  they  had  been  named.  What  their  original  names  were, 
nobody  knew ;  they  had  lived  so  long  in  the  valley  that  they  spoke  the 
Dutch  language,  arid  never  made  use  of  their  own,  except  when  talking 
together;  and  I  recollect,  we  thought  it  a  matter  of  wonder,  when  they 
discoursed  in  Indian,  whether  such  a  guttural  jargon,  cfculd  possibly  be 
the  medium  of  conveying  any  very  definite  ideas.  It  seemed  to  be  one 
undistinguished  tissue  of  hard  sounds,  blending  all  parts  of  speech 
together. 

Had  the  boys  of  my  own  age,  and  I  may  say,  the  grown  people, 
stopped  to  reflect,  and  been  led  to  consider  this  fam^y  and  their  race  in 
America,  independently  of  their  gross  acts,  under  the  strong  excitements 
of  war  and  revenge,  goaded  by  wrongs,  and  led  on  by  the  class  of  revo 
lutionary  tories,  more  implacable  than  even  themselves,  we  must  have 
seen,  in  the  peaceable  lives,  quiet  manners,  and  benevolent  dispositions  of 
these  four  people,  a  contradiction  to,  at  least,  some  part,  of  the  sweeping 
conclusions  above  noticed.  But  no  such  thoughts  occurred.  The  word 
"  Indian,"  was  synonymous  then,  as  perhaps  now,  with  half  the  opprobri 
ous  epithets  in  the  dictionary.  I  recollect  to  have  myself  made  a  few  lines, 
m  early  life,  on  the  subject,  which  ran  thus : — 

Indians  they  were,  ere  Colon  crossed  the  sea, 
And  ages  hence,  they  shall  but  Indians  be. 

Fortunately  I  was  still  young  when  my  sphere  of  observation  was  en 
larged,  by  seeing  masses  of  them,  in  their  native  forests  ;  and  I,  after  a  few 
years,  assumed  a  position  as  government  agent  to  one  of  the  leading  tribes, 
at  an  age  when  opinions  are  not  too  firmly  rooted  to  permit  change.  My 
opinions  were  still,  very  much  however,  what  they  had  been  in  boyhood. 
I  looked  upon  them  as  very  cannibals  and  blood-thirsty  fellows,  who  were 
only  waiting  a  good  opportunity  to  knock  one  in  the  head.  But  I  regarded 
tnem  as  a  curious  subject  of  observation.  The  remembrance  of  poor  old 
Isaac,  had  shown  me  that  there  was  some  feeling  and  humanity  in  their 

5 


66  PERSONAL    INCIDENTS    AND    IMPRESSIONS. 

breasts.  I  had  seen  many  of  them  in  my  travels  in  the  west,  and  I  felt 
inclined  to  inquire  into  the  traits  of  a  people,  among  whom  my  duties  had 
placed  me,  I  had,  from  early  youth,  felt  pleased  with  the  study  of  natural 
history,  and  I  thought  the  Indian,  at  least  in  his  languages,  might  be 
studied  with  something  of  the  same  mode  of  exactitude.  I  had  a  strong 
propensity,  at  this  time  of  life,  for  analysis,  and  I  believed  that  something 
like  an  analytical  process  might  be  applied  to  enquiries,  at  least  in  the 
department  of  philology.  Whenever  a  fact  occurred,  in  the  progress  of 
my  official  duties,  which  I  deemed  characteristic,  I  made  note  of  it,  and  in 
this  way  preserved  a  sort  of  skeleton  of  dates  and  events,  which,  it  was 
believed,  would  be  a  source  of  useful  future  reference.  It  is,  in  truth, 
under  advantages  of  the  kind,  that  these  remarks  are  commenced. 

The  author  has  thrown  out  these  remarks,  as  a  starting  point.  He  has 
made  observations  which  do  not,  in  all  respects,  coincide  with  the  com 
monly  received  opinions,  and  drawn  some  conclusions  which  are  directly 
adverse  to  them.  He  has  been  placed  in  scenes  and  circumstances  of 
varied  interest,  and  met  with  many  characters,  in  the  course  of  four  and 
twenty  years'  residence  and  travel  in  the  wilds  of  America,  who  would 
have  struck  any;  observer  as  original  and  interesting.  With  numbers  of 
them,  he  has  formed  an  intimate  acquaintance,  and  with  not  a  few,  con 
tracted  lasting  friendships.  Connected  with  them  by  a  long  residence,  by 
the  exercise  of  official  duties,  and  by  still  more  delicate  and  sacred  ties,  he 
has  been  regarded  by  them  as  one  identified  with  their  history,  and  received 
many  marks  of  their  confidence. 

The  Indians,  viewed  as  a  distinct  branch  of  the  human  race,  have  some 
peculiar  traits  and  institutions,  from  which  their  history  and  character  may 
be  advantageously  studied.  They  hold  some  opinions,  which  are  not 
easily  discovered  by  a  stranger,  or  a  foreigner,  but  which  yet  exert  a  pow 
erful  influence  on  their  conduct  and  life.  There  is  a  subtlety  in  some  of 
their  modes  of  thought  and  belief,  on  life  and  the  existence  of  spiritual  and 
creative  power,  \vhich  would  seem  to  have  been  eliminated  from  some 
intellectual  crucible,  without  the  limits  of  their  present  sphere.  Yet,  there 
is  much  relative  to  all  the  common  concerns  of  life,  which  is  peculiar  to 
it.  The  author  has  witnessed  many  practices  and  observances,  such  as 
travellers  have  often  noticed,  but  like  others,  attributed  them  to  accident, 
or  to  some  cause  widely  different  from  the  true  one.  By  degrees,  he  has 
been  admitted  into  their  opinions,  and  if  we  may  so  call  it,  the  philosophy 
of  their  minds ;  and  the  life  of  an  Indian  no  longer  appears  to  him  a 
mystery.  He  sees  him  acting,  as  other  men  would  act,  if  placed  exactly 
in  his  condition,  prepared  with  the  education  the  forest  has  given  him,  and 
surrounded  with  the  same  wants,  temptations  and  dangers. 

The  gentler  affections  are  in  much  more  extensive  and  powerful  exer 
cise  among  the  Indian  race,  than  is  generally  believed,  although  necessa 
rily  developed  with  less  refinement  than  in  civilized  society.  Their  pater- 


PERSONAL    INCIDENTS    AND    IMPRESSIONS.  67 

rial  and  fraternal  affections,  have  long  been  known  to  be  very  strong,  as 
well  as  their  veneration  for  the  dead.  It  has  been  his  province  in  these 
departments,  to  add  some  striking  examples  of  their  intensity  of  feeling 
and  affection,  and  truthfulness  to  nature. 

The  most  powerful  source  of  influence,  with  the  Red  man,  is  his  religion. 
Here  is  the  true  groundwork  of  his  hopes  and  his  fears,  and.  it  is  believed, 
the  fruitful  source  of  his  opinions  and  actions.  It  supplies  the  system  of 
thought  by  which  he  lives  and  dies,  and  it  constitutes,  indeed,  the  basis 
of  Indian  character.  By  it  he  preserves  his  identity,  as  a  barbarian,  and 
when  this  is  taken  away,  and  the  true  system  substituted,  he  is  still  a  Red 
Man.  but  no  longer,  in  the  popular  sense,  an  Indian — a  barbarian,  a 
pagan. 

•  The  Indian  religion  is  a  peculiar  compound  of  rites,  and  doctrines,  and 
observances,  which  are  early  taught  the  children  by  precept  and  example. 
In  this  respect,  every  bark-built  village  is  a  temple,  and  every  forest  a. 
school.  It  would  surprise  any  person  to  become  acquainted  with  the 
variety  and  extent  to  which  an  Indian  is  influenced  by  his  religious  views 
and  superstitions.  He  takes  no  important  step  without  reference  to  it 
It  is  his  guiding  motive  in  peace  and  in  war.  He  follows  the  chace  under 
its  influence,  and  his  very  amusements  take  their  tincture  from  it.  To  the- 
author,  the  facts  have  been  developing  themselves  for  many  years,  and 
while  he  is  able  to  account  for  the  peculiar  differences  between  the  con 
duct  of  Indians  and  that  of  white  men,  in  given  cases,  he  can  easily  per 
ceive,  why  the  latter  have  so  often  been  unable  to  calculate  the  actions  of 
the  former,  and  even  to  account  for  them,  when  they  have  taken  place. 
It  may  be  here  remarked,  that  the  civilized  man,  is  no  less  a  mysterious 
and  unaccountable  being  to  an  Indian,  because  his  springs  of  action  are 
alike  unintelligible  to  him. 

If  the  following  pages  shall  afford  the  public  any  means  of  judging  of 
the  Red  Race,  with  greater  accuracy,  he  hopes  they  may  lead  to  our 
treating  them  with  greater  kindness  and  a  more  enlarged  spirit  of  justice. 
The  change  which  has  been  wrought  in  his  own  mind,  by  the  facts  he  has 
witnessed,  has  been  accompanied  by  a  still  more  important  one,  as  to  their 
intellectual  capacities  and  moral  susceptibilities,  and  their  consequent 
claims  on  the  philanthropy  of  the  age.  As  a  class  of  men,  it  is  thought 
their  native  speakers,  without  letters  or  education,  possess  a  higher  scope 
of  thought  and  illustration,  than  the  corresponding  class  in  civilized  life. 
This  may  be  accounted  for,  perhaps,  from  obvious  external  causes,  with 
out  impugning  the  actual  native  capacity  of  the  lower,  although  educated 
classes  of  civilized  life.  Still,  it  is  a  very  striking  fact,  and  one  which  has 
very  often  forced  itself  on  the  attention  of  the  author.  The  old  idea  that 
the  Indian  mind  is  not  susceptible  of  a  high,  or  an  advantageous  develope- 
ment,  rests  upon  questionable  data.  The  two  principal  causes,  which 
have  prolonged  their  continuance  in  a  state  of  barbarism,  on  this  continent. 


68  PERSONAL    INCIDENTS    AND    IMPRESSIONS. 

for  so  long  a  period,  are  a  false  religion,  and  false  views  of  government. 
The  first  has  kept  back  social  prosperity  and  impeded  the  rise  of  virtue. 
With  respect  to  government,  during  all  the  time  we  have  had  them  for  neigh 
bours,  they  may  be  said  to  have  had  no  government  at  all.  Personal  inde 
pendence,  has  kept  the  petty  chiefs  from  forming  confederacies  for  the  com 
mon  good.  Individuals  have  surrendered  no  part  of  their  original  private 
rights,  to  secure  the  observance  of  the  rest.  There  has  been  no  public 
social  organization,  expressed  or  implied.  The  consequence  has  been  that 
the  law  of  private  redress  and  revenge  prevailed.  In  the  only  two  cases 
where  this  system  was  departed  from,  in  North  America,  namely  that  of 
the  Azteek  empire,  and  of  the  Iroquois  confederacy,  there  was  no  lack  of 
vigour  to  improve.  The  results  were  a  constantly  increasing  power,  and 
extending  degree  of  knowledge  up  to  the  respective  eras  of  their  conquest. 
It  was  not  want  of  mental  capacity,  so  much  as  the  non-existence  of  moral 
power,  and  of  the  doctrines  of  truth  and  virtue,  that  kept  them  back  ;  and 
left  our  own  wandering  tribes,  particularly,  with  the  bow  and  the  spear  in 
their  hands.  He  believes,  that  their  errors,  in  these  particulars,  may  be 
pointed  out,  without  drawing  conclusions  adverse  to  their  political  or 
social  prosperity,  under  better  auspicies,  and  without  attributing  such 
failures  to  mental  imbecility. 

The  mode  of  recording  thought,  among  these  tribes,  by  means  of  pic 
torial  signs,  and  mnemonic  symbols,  has  attracted  particular  attention,  and 
gives  the  author  hopes,  that  he  has  been  enabled  to  collect,  and  bring  for 
ward,  a  body  of  facts,  in  this  department,  which  will  recommend  them 
selves  by  their  interest  and  novelty.  Confidence,  inspired  by  long  resi 
dence  in  their  territories,  revealed  to  him  another  trait  of  character,  in  the 
existence  among  them  of  a  traditionary  imaginative  lore,  which  is  repeated 
from  father  to  son,  and  has  no  small  influence  upon  their  social  condition. 
It  is  in  these  two  departments,  that,  he  believes,  he  has  opened  new  and 
important  means  of  judging  of  the  Indian  character,  and  discovered  the 
sources  of  views  and  opinions,  on  many  subjects,  which  had  escaped  pre 
vious  inquirers. 

There  is  one  more  point,  to  which  he  will  here  invite  a  momentary  at 
tention,  and  which,  although  not  usually  enumerated  as  among  the  prac 
tical  causes  that  influenced  Indian  society  and  character,  is  yet  believed  to 
exercise  a  strong,  though  silent  sway,  both  upon  the  question  of  the  mental 
character,  and  its  true  development.  The  author  alludes  to  the  topic  of 
their  languages.  Some  of  the  most  venerated  writers  present  a  theory  of 
the  origin  of  national  government  languages  and  institutions,  difficult  or 
impossible  to  be  conformed  with  the  nature  of  man  in  society,  and  un 
supported  by  such  evidence  as  their  doctrines  require.  Such,  he  regards, 
the  theory  of  the  "  social  compact,"  except  it  be  viewed  in  the  most  un 
defined  and  general  sense  possible.  Such,  also,  is  the  theory  of  the 
origin  and  improvement  of  languages.  The  system  of  government  gene- 


PERSONAL    INCIDENTS    AND    IMPRESSIONS.  69 

rally  prevailing  among  the  Indian  tribes,  is  indeed  so  simple  and  natural, 
under  their  circumstances,  that  it  is  thought  no  person  would  long  seek 
for  the  traces  of  any  great  legislator,  giving  them  laws  in  any  past  period. 
When,  however,  we  consider  the  curious  structure  of  their  languages, 
we  find  an  ingenuity  and  complexity,  far  surpassing  any  theory  to  be 
discovered  in  that  of  the  modern  languages  of  Europe,  with,  perhaps,  some 
exceptions  in  the  Basque  and  Majyer,  and  even  beyond  any  thing  exist 
ing  in  the  Greek.  As  the  latter  has  long  been  held  up  as  a  model,  arid 
the  excellencies  of  its  plan  attributed  to  some  unknown,  but  great  and  sa 
gacious,  learned  and  refined  mind,  we  might  feel  justified  in  assigning 
the  richness  of  forms,  the  exceeding  flexibility,  and  the  characteristic  beau 
ties  and  excellencies  of  the  Indian  tongues,  to  a  mind  of  far  superior  wis 
dom,  ingenuity,  and  experience.  Yet  how  perfectly  gratuitous  would  this 
be !  All  history  bears  testimony  against  the  human  invention  and  de 
signed  alteration  of  language  ;  and  none  but  a  mere  theorist  can  ever  em 
brace  the  idea  that  it  is,  or  ever  was,  in  the  power  of  any  man,  to  fabricate 
and  introduce  a  new  language,  or  to  effect  a  fundamental  change  in  the 
groundwork  of  an  existing  one.  This,  at  least,  is  the  decided  opinion 
of  the  author ;  and  he  firmly  believes,  that  whoever  will  contemplate 
the  subject,  amidst  such  scenes  as  he  has  been  accustomed  to,  will  inevita 
bly  come  to  the  same  conclusion.  He  has  seen  changes  in  dialects 
commenced  and  progressive,  and  indications  of  others  going  on,  but  these 
owed  their  origin  and  impulse  to  accidental  circumstances,  and  were  not 
the  result  of  any  plan  or  design.  They  were  the  result  of  necessity, 
convenience,  or  caprice.  These  three  causes,  that  is  to  say,  necessity 
convenience  and  caprice,  if  properly  examined  and  appreciated  in  their 
influence,  and  traced  with  care  to  their  effects,  will  develop  the  origin 
of  many  things,  whose  existence  has  been  sought  at  too  great  a  distance, 
or  amidst  too  much  refinement. 

Books,  and  the  readers  of  books,  have  done  much  to  bewilo^r  and  per 
plex  the  study  of  the  Indian  character.  Fewer  theories  and  more  obser 
vation,  less  fancy  and  more  fact,  might  have  brought  us  to  much  more 
correct  opinions  than  those  which  are  now  current.  The  Indian  is, 
after  all,  believed  to  be  a  man,  much  more  fully  under  the  influence  of 
common  sense  notions,  and  obvious  every-day  motives  of  thought  and 
action,  hope  and  fear,  than  he  passes  for.  If  he  does  not  come  to  the 
same  conclusions,  on  passing  questions,  as  we  do,  it  is  precisely  be 
cause  he  sees  the  premises,  under  widely  different  circumstances.  The 
admitted  errors  of  barbarism  and  the  admitted  truths  of  civilization,  are  two 
very  different  codes.  He  is  in  want  of  almost  every  source  of  true  know 
ledge  and  opinion,  which  we  possess.  He  has  very  imperfect  notions 
on  many  of  those  branches  of  knowledge  in  what  we  suppose  him  best 
informed.  He  is  totally  in  the  dark  as  to  others.  His  vague  and 
vast  and  dreamy  notions  of  the  Great  Author  of  Existence,  and  the  mode 


70  PERSONAL    INCIDENTS    AND    IMPRESSIONS. 

of  his  manifestations  to  the  human  race,  and  the  wide  and  complicated 
system  of  superstition  and  transcendental  idolatry  which  he  has  reared 
upon  this  basis,  place  him,  at  once,  with  all  his  sympathies  and  theories,  out 
of  the  great  pale  of  truth  and  civilization.  This  is  one  of  the  leading 
circumstances  which  prevents  him  from  drawing  his  conclusions  as  we 
draw  them.  Placed  under  precisely  similar  circumstances,  we  should 
perhaps  coincide  in  his  opinion  and  judgments.  But  aside  from  these  er 
roneous  views,  and  after  making  just  allowances  for  his  ignorance  and 
moral  depression,  the  Indian  is  a  man  of  plain  common  sense  judg 
ment,  acting  from  what  he  knows,  and  sees,  and  feels,  of  objects  immedi 
ately  before  him,  or  palpable  to  his  view.  If  he  sometimes  employs  a 
highly  figurative  style  to  communicate  his  thoughts,  and  even  stoops,  as 
we  now  know  he  does,  to  amuse  his  fire-side  circle  with  tales  of  extrava 
gant  and  often  wild  demonic  fancy,  he  is  very  far  from  being  a  man  who, 
in  his  affairs  of  lands,  and  merchandize,  and  business,  exchanges  the  sober 
thoughts  of  self  preservation  and  subsistence,  for  the  airy  conceptions  of 
fancy.  The  ties  of  consanguinity  bind  him  strongly.  The  relation  of 
the  family  is  deep -and  well  traced  amongst  the  wildest  tribes,  and  this 
fact  alone  forms  a  basis  for  bringing  him  back  to  all  his  original  duties, 
and  re-organizing  Indian  society.  The  author  has,  at  least,  been  thrown 
into  scenes  and  positions,  in  which  this  truth  has  strongly  presented  itself 
to  his  mind,  and  he  believes  the  facts  are  of  a  character  which  will 
interest  the  reader,  and  may  be  of  some  use  to  the  people  themselves, 
so  far  as  affects  the  benevolent  plans  of  the  age,  if  they  do  not  constitute 
an  increment  in  the  body  of  observational  testimony,  of  a  practical  nature, 
from  which  the  character  of  the  race  is  to  be  judged. 


PERSONAL  INCIDENTS  AND  IMPRESSIONS  OF  THE  RED  RACE, 
DRAWN  FROM  NOTES  OF  RESIDENCE  AND  TRAVEL  IN  THE  IN 
DIAN  TERRITORIES. 

DOMESTIC  CONDITION  OF  THE  TRIBES  AND  CONSTUTION  OF  THE 
INDIAN  FAMILY- 

INQUIRY  II. — What  is  the  domestic  condition  and  organization  of  the  Indian  family  T 
Is  the  tie  of  consanguinity  strong,  and  what  characteristic  facts  can  be  stated  of  it  ? 
How  are  the  domestic  duties  arranged  ?  What  are  the  rights  of  each  inmate  of  the 
lodge  ?  How  is  order  maintained  in  so  confined  a  space,  and  the  general  relations 
of  the  family  preserved  ?  Are  the  relative  duties  and  labours  of  the  hunter  and  his 
wife,  equally  or  unequally  divided  ?  Who  builds  the  lodge,  and  how  is  it  constructed? 

THERE  is  a  very  striking  agreement,  in  the  condition,  relative  duties 
and  obligations,  of  the  Indian  family,  among  all  the  tribes  of  whom  I 
have  any  personal  knowledge,  in  North  America.  Climate  and  position, 
the  abundance  or  want  of  the  means  of  subsistence  and  other  accidental 
causes,  have  created  gradations  of  condition  in  the  various  tribes,  some  of 
whom  excel  others  in  expertness,  in  hunting  and  war,  and  other  arts,  but 
these  circumstances  have  done  little  to  alter  the  general  characteristics,  or  to 
abridge  or  enlarge  the  original  rights  and  claims  of  each  inmate  of  the 
lodge.  The  tribes  who  cultivated  maize  in  the  rich  sub-vallies  and  plains 
of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi,  had  fuller  means  of  both  physical  and  mental 
development,  than  those  who  were,  and  still  are,  obliged  to  pick  a  scanty 
iubsistence,  among  the  frigid,  and  half  marine  regions  in  the  latitudes 
north  of  the  great  lakes.  There  are  some  peculiar  traits  of  manners,  in 
the  prairie-tribes,  west  of  the  Mississippi,  who  pursue  the  bison  on  horse 
back,  and  rely  for  their  subsistence  greatly,  on  its  flesh,  and  the  sale  of  its 
skin.  The  well  fed  Muscogee,  Cherokee,  or  Choctaw,  who  lived  in  the 
sunny  vallies  of  upper  Georgia,  Alabama,  and  Tennessee,  the  robust 
Osage,  revelling  in  the  abundance  of  corn  and  wild  meat,  south  of  the 

71 


72  PERSONAL    INCIDENTS    AND    IMPRESSIONS. 

Missouri,  and  the  lean  and  rigid  Montaignes,  Muskeego,  and  Kenisteno, 
who  push  their  canoes  through  waters  choked  with  aquatic  weeds,  and 
wild  rice,  present  very  different  pictures  of  home  and  comfort,  within  their 
lodge  doors.  But  they  really  present  the  same  idea,  the  same  sentiments, 
and  the  same  round  of  duties  and  obligations,  of  father  and  mother,  sister 
and  brother,  wife  and  husband.  The  original  type  of  the  human  family 
among  them,  is  well  preserved,  better,  indeed,  than  was  to  have  been  ex 
pected  in  a  state  of  barbarism,  and  among  branches  of  the  race  who  have 
been  so  long  separated,  and  subjected  to  such  severe  vicissitudes.  It 
would  be  useless,  in  this  view,  to  draw  a  parallel  between  the  relative  con 
dition  of  the  members  of  a  family,  within,  and  without  the  pale  of  civiliza 
tion.  Nothing  of  the  kind  could  be  done,  without  showing  up  pictures 
of  want  in  the  hunter-life  which  are  wholly  unknown  in  the  agricultural 
state.  It  cannot  perhaps,  in  fair  justice,  be  said  that  the  tie  of  consan 
guinity,  in  the  man  of  the  woods,  is  stronger,  than  in  civilized  life.  But 
it  is  in  accordance  with  all  observation  to  say,  that  it  is  very  strong,  that 
its  impulses  beat  with  marked  force,  and  are  more  free  from  the  inter 
twined  ligaments  of  interest,  which  often  weakens  the  tie  of  relationship  in 
refined  and  affluent  society. 

The  true  idea  of  matrimony,  in  Indian  life,  is  also  well  set  forth  and 
acknowledged,  although  it  has  come  down  through  ages  of  plunder  and 
wandering,  degraded  in  its  condition,  shorn  of  its  just  ceremonies,  and 
weakened  in  its  sacred  character.  I  have  observed  that  polygamy,  among 
the  northern  tribes,  is  chiefly  to  be  found,  among  bands  who  are  favour 
ably  located,  and  have  the  best  means  of  subsistence.  But  even  here  it  is 
not  reputable  ;  it  may  often  increase  a  man's  influence  in  the  tribe  or  nation, 
but  theie  are  always  persons  in  the  wildest  forests,  who  do  not  think  the 
practice  right  or  reputable.  In  the  worst  state  of  Indian  society,  there  are 
always  some  glimmerings  of  truth.  If  the  conscience  of  the  Red  man 
may  be  compared  to  a  lamp,  it  may  be  said  to  have  rather  sunk  low  into  its 
socket,  than  actually  to  have  expired.  The  relation  between  husband 
and  wife,  in  the  forest,  are  formed  under  circumstances,  which  are  gene 
rally  uniform.  Various  incidents,  or  motives  determine  a  union.  Some 
times  it  is  brought  about  by  the  intervention  of  friends  ;  sometimes  from 
a  sudden  impulse  of  admiration  ;  sometimes  with,  and  sometimes  against 
the  wishes  of  the  graver  and  more  prudent  relatives  of  the  parties. 
Where  the  husband  is  acceptable,  and  has  not  before  been  married, 
which  covers  the  majority  of  cases,  he  comes  to  live  for  a  while  after  mar 
riage,  in  the  lodge  of  his  mother-in-law ;  and  this  relation  generally  lasts 
until  the  increase  of  children,  or  other  circumstances  determine  his  setting 
up  a  lodge  for  himself.  Presents  are  still  a  ready  way  for  a  young  hun 
ter  to  render  himself  acceptable  m  a  lodge.  There  are  some  instances, 
where  considerable  ceremony,  and  the  invitation  of  friends,  have  attended 
the  first  reception  of  the  bridegroom,  at  the  lodge  ;  but  these  are  in  most 


PERSONAL    INCIDENTS    AND    IMPRESSIONS.  73 

cases,  what  we  should  denominate  matches  of  state,  or  expediency,  in 
which  the  bravery,  or  other  public  services  of  a  chief  or  leader,  has  in 
clined  his  village  to  think,  that  his  merits  deserve  the  reward  of  a  wife. 
Generally,  the  acceptance  of  the  visitor  by  the  party  most  interested,  and 
her  mother  and  father,  and  their  expressed,  or  tacit  consent,  is  the  only 
preliminary,  and  this  is  done  in  a  private  way.  The  only  ceremonial 
observance,  of  which  I  have  ever  heard,  is  the  assigning  of  what  is  called 
an  abbinos,  or  permanent  lodge  seat,  to  the  bridegroom.  When  this  has 
been  done,  by  the  mother  or  mistress  of  the  lodge,  who  governs  these 
things,  he  is  received,  and  henceforth  installed  as  a  constituent  member  of 

CD    /  / 

the  lodge  and  family.  The  simple  rule  is,  that  he  who  has  a  right  to  sit 
by  the  bride,  is  her  husband. 

The  lodge  itself,  with  all  its  arrangements,  is  the  precinct  of  the  rule 
and  government  of  the  wife.  She  assigns  to  each  member,  his  or  her  or 
dinary  place  to  sleep  and  put  their  effects.  These  places  are  permanent, 
and  only  changed  at  her  will,  as  when  there  is  a  guest  by  day  or  night. 
In  a  space  so  small  as  a  lodge  this  system  preserves  order,  and  being  at  all 
times  under  her  own  eye,  is  enforced  by  personal  supervision.  The  hus 
band  has  no  voice  in  this  matter,  and  I  have  never  heard  of  an  instance  in 
which  he  would  so  far  deviate  from  his  position,  as  to  interfere  in  these 
minor  particulars.  The  lodge  is  her  ^precinct,  the  forest  his. 

There  is  no  law,  nor  force,  to  prevent  an  Indian  from  decreeing  his 
own  divorce,  that  is  to  say,  leaving  one  wife  and  taking  another  whenever 
he  sees  cause.  Yet  it  often  occurs  that  there  is  some  plausible  pretext  for 
such  a  step,  such  as  if  true,  would  form  some  justification  of  the  measure. 
The  best  protection  to  married  females  arises  from  the  ties  of  children, 
which  by  bringing  into  play  the  strong  natural  affections  of  the  heart,  and 
appeals  at  once  to  that  principle  in  man's  original  organization,  which  is 
the  strongest.  The  average  number  of  children  borne  by  the  women,  and 
which  reach  the  adult  period  is  small,  and  will  scarcely  exceed  two.  On 
the  pay  rolls  it  did  not  exceed  this.  Much  of  this  extraordinary  result  is 
owing  to  their  erratic  mode  of  life,  and  their  cramped  means  of  subsis 
tence.  Another  cause  is  to  be  found  in  the  accidents  and  exposure  to 
which  young  children  are  liable,  but  still  more  to  their  shocking  ignorance 
of  medicine.  I  once'  knew  a  child  at  three  years  of  age  to  be  killed  by 
an  attempt  to  restore  a  deranged  state  of  the  bowels,  by  a  strong  overdose 
of  an  astringent  tincture  of  hemlock  bark  administered  by  her  father. 
This  man,  who  was  called  Attuck,  had  strong  natural  affections,  but  he 
was  very  ignorant  even  in  the  eyes  of  the  Indian  race,  being  one  of  that 
people  living  N.  E.  of  lake  Superior,  who  are  called  variously  Gens  de 
Terres.  Mountaineers,  and  Muskeegoes.  Wherever  the  laws  of  reproduc 
tion  are  relieved  from  these  depressing  circumstances,  the  number  of  chil 
dren  is  seen  to  be  increased. 

The  chief  laba-Waddick,  who  lived  on  a  small  bay  at  the  foot  of  lake 


74  PERSONAL    INCIDENTS    AND    IMPRESSIONS. 

Superior,  and  had  abundance  of  means  of  subsistence,  had  fourteen  chil 
dren  by  one  wife.  He  was  an  excellent  hunter,  and  of  habits  for  the 
most  part  of  his  life,  strictly  temperate;  he  had  married  young,  and  had 
always  had  the  means  of  providing  his  family  with  adequate  clothing  and 
food.  Not  one  of  these  children  died  in  infancy.  He  lived  himself  to  be 
old,  and  died  rather  from  a  complaint  induced  by  constitutional  structure, 
than  from  a  natural  decay  of  vital  power. 

The  duties  and  labours  of  Indian  life,  are  believed  to  be  equally,  and 
not,  as  has  been  generally  thought,  unequally  divided  between  the  male 
and  female.  This  division  is  also  the  most  natural  possible,  and  such  as 
must  ever  result  from  the  condition  of  man,  as  a  mere  hunter.  It  is  the 
duty  of  the  male  to  provide  food,  and  of  the  female  to  prepare  it.  This 
arrangement  carries  with  it  to  the  share  of  the  male,  all  that  relates  to  ex 
ternal  concerns,  and  all  that  pertains  to  the  internal  to  the  care  of  the  female 
as  completely  as  is  done  in  civilized  life.  To  the  man  belongs  not  only  the 
business  of  hunting,  for  this  is  an  employment  and  not  a  pastime,  but  the 
care  of  the  territory,  and  keeping  off  intruders  and  enemies,  and  the  pre 
paration  of  canoes  for  travel,  and  of  arms  and  implements  of  war.  The 
duties  of  cooking  and  dressing  meats  and  fowl,  and  whatever  else  the 
chase  affords,  carries  on  the  other  hand,  to  the  share  of  the  hunter's  wife, 
the  entire  care  and  controul  of  the  lodge,  with  its  structure  and  removal, 
and  the  keeping  it  in  order,  with  all  its  utensils  and  apparatus.  A  good 
and  frugal  hunter's  wife,  makes  all  this  a  point  of  ambitious  interest,  and 
takes  a  pride  in  keeping  it  neat  and  proper  for  the  reception  of  her  hus 
band's  guests.  She  sweeps  the  earth  clean  around  the  fire,  with  a  broom 
of  branches  of  the  cedar  constructed  for  this  purpose.  This  lodge  it  is  tc 
be  remembered,  is  made  not  of  beams  and  posts,  and  heavy  carpentry, 
but  out  of  thin  poles,  such  as  a  child  can  lift,  set  in  the  ground  in  a  circle, 
bent  over  and  tied  at  the  top,  and  sheathed  with  long  sheets  of  the  white  birch 
bark.  A  rim  of  cedar  wood  at  the  bottom,  assimilates  these  birch  bark 
sheets  to  the  roller  of  a  map,  to  which  in  stormy  weather  a  stone  is  at 
tached  to  hold  it  firm.  This  stick  has  also  the  precise  use  of  a  map- 
roller,  for  when  the  lodge  is  to  be  removed,  the  bark  is  rolled  on  it,  and 
in  this  shape  carried  to  the  canoe,  to  be  set  up  elsewhere.  The  circle 
of  sticks  or  frame,  is  always  left  standing,  as  it  would  be  useless  to  en 
cumber  the  canoe  with  what  can  easily  be  had  at  any  position  in  a  forest 
country. 

Such  at  least  is  the  hunting  lodge,  and  indeed,  the  lodge  generally 
used  by  the  tribes  north  of  lattitude  42°.  It  is,  in  its  figure,  a  half  globe, 
and  by  its  lightness  and  wicker-like  structure,  may  be  said  to  resemble  an 
inverted  bird's  nest.  The  whole  amount  of  the  transportable  materials  of 
it,  is  often  comprehended  in  some  half  a  dozen  good  rolls  of  bark,  and  as 
many  of  rush  mats  which  the  merest  girl  can  easily  lift.  The  mats  which 
are  the  substitute  for  floor  cloths,  and  also  the  under  stratum  of  the  sleep- 


PERSONAL    INCIDENTS    AND    IMPRESSIONS.  75 

ing  couch,  are  made  out  of  the  common  lacustris  or  bullrush,  or  the 
flag,  cut  at  the  proper  season,  and  woven  in  a  warp  of  fine  hemp  net 
thread,  such  as  is  furnished  by  traders  in  the  present  state  of  the  Indian 
trade.  A  portion  of  this  soft  vegetable  woof,  is  dyed,  and  woven  in  vari 
ous  colours.  Lodges  thus  constructed  are  to  be  still  abundantly  seen, 
by  the  summer  visitor,  in  the  upper  lakes,  at  all  the  principal  points,  to 
which  the  Indians  resort,  during  the  height  of  summer.  Such  are  the 
posts  of  Michilimackinac,  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  and  Green  Bay.  At  Michili- 
mackinac,  where  it  is  now  difficult  to  get  fresh  lodge  poles,  without  going 
some  distance,  or  trespassing  on  private  rights,  the  natives  who  resort  thi 
ther,  of  late  years,  have  adopted  an  ingenious  change,  by  which  two  ob 
jects  are  accomplished  at  the  same  time,  and  the  labour  of  the  females  dis 
pensed  with  in  getting  new  poles.  It  is  known,  that  the  bark  canoe,  be 
ing  itself  but  an  enlarged  species  of  wicker  work,  has  not  sufficient 
strength  to  be  freighted,  without  previously  having  a  number  of  poles  laid 
longitudinally,  in  the  bottom,  as  a  kind  of  vertebral  support.  These  poles 
on  landing  upon  the  gravelly  shores  of  that  island,  are  set  up,  or  slacked 
to  use  a  military  phrase,  that  is  tying  the  tops  together  and  then  drawing 
out  the  other  ends  so  as  to  describe  a  circle,  and  thus  making  a  perfect 
cone.  The  bark  tapestry  is  hung  around  these  poles  very  much  as  it 
would  be  around  the  globular  close  lodges ;  and  by  this  arrangement,  an 
Indian  lodge  is  raised,  and  ready  for  occupation,  in  as  many  minutes, 
after  landing,  as  the»most  expert  soldiers  could  pitch  a  tent  in. 

Before  we  can  affirm  that  the  labour  of  preparing  these  barks  and  mats 
and  setting  up,  and  taking  down,  the  lodge,  is  disproportionately  great, 
or  heavy  on  the  females,  it  will  be  necessary  to  inquire  into  other  particu 
lars,  both  on  the  side  of  the  male  and  female.  Much  of  the  time  of  an  In 
dian  female,  is  passed  in  idleness.  This  is  true  not  only  of  a  part  of  every 
day,  but  is  emphatically  so,  of  certain  seasons  of  the  year.  She  has  not 
like  the  farmer's  wife,  her  cows  to  milk,  her  butter  and  cheese  to  make, 
and  her  flax  to  spin.  She  has  not  to  wash  and  comb  and  prepare  her 
children  every  morning,  to  go  to  school.  She  has  no  extensive  or  fine 
wardrobe  to  take  care  of.  She  has  no  books  to  read.  She  sets  little  value 
on  time,  which  is  characteristic  of  all  the  race.  What  she  does,  is  either 
very  plain  sewing,  or  some  very  pains  taking  ornamental  thing.  When 
the  sheathing  and  flooring  of  the  lodges  a-re  once  made,  they  are 
permanent  pieces  of  property,  and  do  not  require  frequent  renewal. 
When  a  skin  has  been  dressed,  and  a  garment  made  of  it,  it  is  worn, 
till  it  is  worn  out.  Frequent  ablution  and  change  of  dress,  are  eminently 
the  traits  of  high  civilization,  and  not  of  the  hunter's  lodge.  The 
articles  which  enter  into  the  mysteries  of  the  laundry,  add  but  little  to 
the  cares  of  a  forest  housekeeper.  With  every  industrial  effort,  and 
such  is,  somtimes  the  case,  there  is  much  unoccupied  time,  while  her  hus 
band  is  compelled  by  their  necessities,  to  traverse  large  tracts,  and  endure 


76  PERSONAL    INCIDENTS    AND    IMPRESSIONS. 

great  fatigues,  in  all  weathers  in  quest  of  food.  He  must  defend  his  hunt 
ing  grounds,  in  peace  and  war,  and  has  his  life  daily  in  his  hands- 
Long  absences  are  often  necessary,  on  these  accounts.  It  is  at  such  times, 
during  the  open  season,  that  the  Indian  female  exerts  her  industry.  In 
the  fall  season,  she  takes  her  children  in  a  canoe,  or  if  she  have  none,  in 
vites  a  female  companion  to  go  with  her,  along  the  streams,  to  cut  the 
rush,  to  be  manufactured  into  mats,  at  her  leisure,  in  the  winter.  It  is 
also  a  part  of  her  duty,  at  all  seasons,  to  provide  fuel  for  the  lodge  fire, 
which  she  is  careful  to  do,  that  she  may  suitably  receive  her  husband,  on 
his  return  from  the  chase,  and  have  the  means  of  drying  his  wet  mocca 
sins,  and  a  cheerful  spot,  where  he  may  light  his  pipe,  and  regain  his  mental 
equilibrium,  while  she  prepares  his  meals.  The  very  idea  of  a  female's 
chopping  wood,  is  to  some  horriffic.  But  it  is  quite  true  that  the  Indian 
female  does  chop  wood,  or  at  least,  exert  an  undue  labour,  in  procuring 
this  necessary  article  of  the  household.  In  speaking  of  the  female,  we,  at 
once,  rush  to  the  poetic  idea  of  the  refinement  of  lady  like  gentleness,  and 
delicacy.  Not  only  does  the  nature  of  savage  life  and  the  hardiness  of 
muscle  created  by  centuries  of  forest  vicissitude,  give  the  hunter's  wife. 
but  a  slender  claim  on  this  particular  shade  of  character,  but  the  kind  ot 
labour  implied,  is  very  different  from  the  notion  civilized  men  have  of 
"  wood  chopping."  The  emigrant  swings  a  heavy  axe  of  six  pounds 
weight,  incessantly,  day  in,  and  day  out,  against  immense  trees,  in  the 
heaviest  forest,  until  he  has  opened  the  land  to  the  mys  of  the  sun,  and 
prepared  an  amount  of  cyclopean  labours  for  the  power  of  fire,  and  the 
ox.  The  hunter  clears  no  forests,  the  limits  of  which  on  the  contrary,  he 
carefully  cherishes  for  his  deer  to  range  in.  He  seats  himself  down,  with 
his  lodge,  in  the  borders  of  natural  glades,  or  meadows,  to  plant  his  few 
hills  of  maize.  He  had  no  metallic  axe,  capable  of  cutting  down  a  tree, 
before  1492,  and  he  has  never  learned  to  wield  a  heavy  axe  up  to  1844. 
His  wife,  always  made  her  lodge  fires  by  gathering  sticks,  and  she  does 
so  still.  She  takes  a  hatchet  of  one  or  two  pounds  weight,  and  after 
collecting  dry  limbs  in  the  forest,  she  breaks  them  into  lengths  of  about 
18  inches,  and  ties  them  in  bundles,  or  faggots,  and  carries  them,  at  her 
leisure,  to  her  lodge.  Small  as  these  sticks  are,  in  their  length  and  diame 
ter,  but  few  are  required  to  boil  her  pot.  The  lodge,  being  of  small  cir 
cumference,  but  little  heat  is  required  to  warm  the  air,  and  by  suspending 
the  pot  by  a  string  from  above,  over  a  small  blaze,  the  object  is  attained, 
without  that  extraordinary  expenditure  of  wood,  which,  to  the  perfect 
amazement  of  the  Indian,  characterizes  the  emigrant's  roaring  fire  of  logs. 
The  few  fields  which  the  Indians  have  cleared  and  prepared  for  corn  fields, 
in  northern  latitudes,  are  generally  to  be  traced  to  some  adventitious  opening, 
and  have  been  enlarged  very  slowly.  Hence,  I  have  observed,  that  when 
they  have  come  to  be  appraised,  to  fix  their  value  as  improvements  upon 
the  land,  under  treaty  provisions,  that  the  amount  thereof  may  be  paid  the 


PERSONAL    INCIDENTS    AND    IMPRESSIONS.  77 

owner,  they  have  uniformly  set  a  high  estimate  upon  these  ancient  clear 
ings,  and  sometimes  regarded  their  value,  one  would  think,  in  the  inverse 
proportion  of  these  limits.  As  if,  indeed,  there  were  some  merit,  in  having 
but  half  an  acre  of  cleared  ground,  where,  it  might  be  supposed,  the  owner 
would  have  cultivated  ten  acres.  And  this  half  acre,  is  to  be  regarded  as 
the  industrial  sum  of  the  agricultural  labours  of  all  ages  and  sexes,  during 
perhaps,  ten  generations.  Could  the  whole  of  this  physical  effort,  there 
fore,  be  traced  to  female  hands,  which  is  doubtful,  for  the  old  men  and 
boys,  will  often  do  something,  it  would  not  be  a  very  severe  imposition. 
There  is  at  least,  a  good  deal,  it  is  believed,  in  this  view  of  the  domestic 
condition  of  the  women  to  mitigate  the  severity  of  judgment,  with  which 
the  proud  and  labour-hating  hunter,  has  sometimes  been  visited.  He  has. 
in  our  view,  the  most  important  part  of  the  relative  duties  of  Indian  life, 
to  sustain.  In  the  lodge  he  is  a  mild,  considerate  man,  of  the  non-interfering 
and  non-scolding  species.  He  may  indeed,  be  looked  upon,  rather  as  the 
guest  of  his  wife,  than  what  he  is  often  represented  to  be.  her  tyrant,  and 
he  is  often  only  known  as  the  lord  of  the  lodge,  by  the  attention  and  res 
pect  which  she  shows  to  him.  He  is  a  man  of  few  words.  If  her  temper 
is  ruffled,  he  smiles.  If  he  is  displeased,  he  walks  away.  It  is  a  pro 
vince  in  which  his  actions  acknowledge  her  right  to  rule ;  and  it  is  one, 
in  which  his  pride  and  manliness  have  exalted  him  above  the  folly  of  al 
tercation. 


THE  MANITO  TREE. 

There  is  a  prominent  hill  in  the  vicinity  of  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  at  the  out 
let  of  lake  Superior,  called  by  the  French  La  Butte  des  Terres.  An  In 
dian  footpath  formerly  connected  this  hill  with  the  old  French  settlement 
at  those  falls,  from  which  it  is  distant  about  a  mile.  In  the  intermediate 
space,  near  the  path,  there  formerly  stood  a  tree,  a  large  mountain  ash, 
from  which,  Indian  tradition  says,  there  issued  a  sound,  resembling  that 
produced  by  their  own  war-drums,  during  one  of  the  most  calm  and 
cloudless  days.  This  occurred  long  before  the  French  appeared  in  the 
country.  It  was  consequently  regarded  as  the  local  residence  of  a  spirit, 
and  deemed  sacred. 

From  that  time  they  began  to  deposit  at  its  foot,  an  offering  of  small 
green  twigs  and  boughs,  whenever  they  passed  the  path,  so  that,  in  pro 
cess  of  time,  a  high  pile  of  these  offerings  of  the  forest  was  accumulated. 
It  seemed  as  if,  by  this  procedure,  the  other  trees  had  each  made  an  offer 
ing  to  this  tree.  At  length  the  tree  blew  down,  during  a  violent  storm, 
and  has  since  entirely  decayed,  but  the  spot  was  recollected  and  the  offer 
ings  kept  up,  arid  they  would  have  been  continued  to  the  present  hour, 
had  not  an  accidental  circumstance  put  a  stop  to  it. 

In  the  month  of  July  1822,  the  government  sent  a  military  force  to  take 
post,  at  that  ancient  point  of  French  settlement,  at  the  foot  of  the  falls,  and 
one  of  the  first  acts  of  the  commanding  officer  was  to  order  out  a  fatigue 
party  to  cut  a  wagon  road  from  the  selected  site  of  the  post  to  the  hill.  This 
road  was  directed  to  be  cut  sixty  feet  wide,  and  it  passed  over  the  site  of 
the  tree.  The  pile  of  offerings  was  thus  removed,  without  the  men's 
knowing  that  it  ever  had  had  a  superstitious  origin  ;  and  thus  the  practice 
itself  came  to  an  end.  I  had  landed  with  the  troops,  and  been  at  the  place 
but  nine  days,  in  the  exercise  of  my  appropriate  duties  as  an  Agent  on  the 
part  of  the  government  to  the  tribe,  when  this  trait  of  character  was  men 
tioned  to  me,  and  I  was  thus  made  personally  acquainted  with  the  locality, 
the  cutting  of  the  road,  and  the  final  extinction  of  the  rite. 

Our  Indians  are  rather  prone  to  regard  the  coming  of  the  white  man, 
a!L  fulfilling  certain  obscure  prophecies  of  their  own  priests ;  and  that  they 
are.  at  best,  harbingers  of  evil  to  them  ;  and  with  their  usual  belief  in 
fataKty,  they  tacitly  drop  such  rites  as  the  foregoing.  They  can  excuse 
themselves  to  their  consciences  in  such  cases,  in  relinquishing  the  wor 
ship  of  a  local  manito,  by  saying:  it  is  the  tread  of  the  white  man  that 
has  desecrated  the  ground. 

78 


TALES   OF  A  WIGWAM, 


THE  WHITE  STONE  CANOE. 

THERE  was  once  a  very  beautiful  young  girl,  who  died  suddenly  on  the 
day  she  was  to  have  been  married  to  a  handsome  young  man.  He  was 
also  brave,  but  his  heart  was  not  proof  against  this  loss.  From  the 
hour  she  was  buried,  there  was  no  more  joy  or  peace  for  him.  He  went 
often  to  visit  the  spot  where  the  women  had  buried  her,  and  sat  musing 
there,  when,  it  was  thought,  by  some  of  his  friends,  he  would  have  done 
better  to  try  to  amuse  himself  in  the  chase,  or  by  diverting  his  thoughts  in 
the  war-path.  But  war  and  hunting  had  both  lost  their  charms  for  him. 
His  heart  was  already  dead  within  him.  He  pushed  aside  both  his 
war-club  and  his  bow  and  arrows. 

He  had  heard  the  old  people  say,  that  there  was  a  path,  that  led  to  the 
land  of  souls,  and  he  determined  to  follow  it.  He  accordingly  set  out, 
one  morning,  after  having  completed  his  preparations  for  the  journey. 
At  first  he  hardly  knew  which  way  to  go.  He  was  only  guided  by  the 
tradition  that  he  must  go  south.  For  a  while,  he  could  see  no  change  in 
the  face  of  the  country.  Forests,  and  hills,  and  vallies,  and  streams  had 
the  same  looks,  which  they  wore  in  his  native  place.  There  was  snow 
on  the  ground,  when  he  set  out,  and  it  was  sometimes  seen  to  be  piled 
and  matted  on  the  thick  trees  and  bushes.  At  length,  it  began  to  dimin 
ish,  and  finally  disappeared.  The  forest  assumed  a  more  cheerful  ap 
pearance,  the  leaves  put  forth  their  buds,  and  before  he  was  aware  of 
the  completeness  of  the  change,  he  found  himself  surrounded  by  spring. 
He  had  left  behind  him  the  land  of  snow  and  ice.  The  air  became 
mild,  the  dark  clouds  of  winter  had  rolled  away  from  the  sky ;  a  pure 
field  of  blue  was  above  him,  and  as  he  went  he  saw  flowers  beside  his 
path,  and  heard  the  songs  of  birds.  By  these  signs  he  knew  that  he  was 
going  the  right  way,  for  they  agreed  with  the  traditions  of  his  tribe.  At 
length  he  spied  a  path.  It  led  him  through  a  grove,  then  up  a  long  and 
elevated  ridge,  on  the  very  top  of  which  he  came  to  a  lodge.  At  the 
door  stood  an  old  man,  with  white  hair,  whose  eyes,  though  deeply  sunk, 
had  a  fiery  brilliancy.  He  had  a  long  robe  of  skins  thrown  loosely 

around  his  shoulders,  and  a  staff  in  his  hands. 

79 


80  THE    WHITE    STONE    CANOE. 

The  young  Chippewayan  began  to  tell  his  story ;  but  the  venerable  chief 
arrested  him,  before  he  had  proceeded  to  speak  ten  words.  I  have  expected 
you,  he  replied,  and  had  just  risen  to  bid  you  welcome  to  my  abode.  She, 
whom  you  seek,  passed  here  but  a  few  days  since,  and  being  fatigued  with 
her  journey,  rested  herself  here.  Enter  my  lodge  and  be  seated,  and  I 
will  then  satisfy  your  enquiries,  and  give  you  directions  for  your  journey 
from  this  point.  Having  done  this,  they  both  issued  forth  to  the  lodge  door. 
"You  see  yonder  gulf,  said  he,  and  the  wide  stretching  blue  plains  be 
yond.  It  is  the  land  of  souls.  You  stand  upon  its  borders,  and  my  lodge 
is  the  gate  of  entrance.  But  you  cannot  take  your  body  along.  Leave  it 
here  with  your  bow  and  arrows,  your  bundle  and  your  dog.  You  will 
find  them  safe  on  your  return."  So  saying,  he  re-entered  the  lodge,  and 
the  freed  traveller  bounded  forward,  as  if  his  feet  had  suddenly  been  endow 
ed  with  the  power  of  wings.  But  all  things  retained  their  natural  colours 
and  shapes.  The  woods  and  leaves,  and  streams  and  lakes,  were  only 
more  bright  and  comely  than  he  had  ever  witnessed.  Animals  bounded 
across  his  path,  with  a  freedom  and  a  confidence  which  seemed  to  tell 
him,  there  was  no  blood  shed  here.  Birds  of  beautiful  plumage  inhabit 
ed  the  groves,  and  sported  in  the  waters.  There  was  but  one  thing,  in 
which  he  saw  a  very  unusual  effect.  He  noticed  that  his  passage  was 
not  stopped  by  trees  or  other  objects.  He  appeared  to  walk  directly 
through  them.  They  were,  in  fact,  but  the  souls  or  shadows  of  material 
trees.  He  became  sensible  that  he  was  in  a  land  of  shadows.  When 
he  had  travelled  half  a  day's  journey,  through  a  country  which  was  con 
tinually  becoming  more  attractive,  he  came  to  the  banks  of  a  broad  lake, 
in  the  centre  of  which  was  a  large  and  beautiful  island.  He  found  a 
canoe  of  shining  white  stone,  tied  to  the  shore.  He  was  now  sure  that 
he  had  come  the  right  path,  for  the  aged  man  had  told  him  of  this.  There 
were  also  shining  paddles.  He  immediately  entered  the  canoe,  and  took 
the  paddles  in  his  hands,  when  to  his  joy  and  surprise,  on  turning  round, 
he  beheld  the  object  of  his  search  in  another  canoe,  exactly  its  counter 
part  in  every  thing.  She  had  exactly  imitated  his  motions,  and  they  were 
side  by  side.  They  at  once  pushed  out  from  shore  and  began  to  cross 
the  lake.  Its  waves  seemed  to  be  rising  and  at  a  distance  looked  ready  to 
swallow  them  up;  but  just  as  they  entered  the  whitened  edge  of  them 
they  seemed  to  melt  away,  as  if  they  were  but  the  images  of  waves.  But 
no  sooner  was  one  wreath  of  foam  passed,  than  another,  more  threaten 
ing  still,  rose  up.  Thus  they  were  in  perpetual  fear;  and  what  added  to 
it,  was  the  clearness  of  the  water,  through  which  they  could  see  heaps  of 
beings  who  had  perished  before,  and  whose  bones  laid  strewed  on  the 
bottom  of  the  lake.  The  Master  of  Life  had,  however,  decreed  to  let  them 
pass,  for  the  actions  of  neither  of  them  had  been  bad.  But  they  saw  many 
others  struggling  and  sinking  in  the  waves.  Old  men  and  young  men, 
males  and  females  of  all  ages  and  ranks,  were  there;  some  passed,  and 


THE    WHITE    STONE    CANOE. 


81 


some  sank.  It  was  only  the  little  children  whose  canoes  seemed  to  meet 
no  waves.  At  length,  every  difficulty  was  gone,  as  in  a  moment,  and 
they  both  leapt  out  on  the  happy  island.  They  felt  that  the  very  air 
was  food.  It  strengthened  and  nourished  them.  They  wandered  to 
gether  over  the  blissful  fields,  where  every  thing  was  formed  to  please  the 
eye  and  the  ear.  There  were  no  tempests — there  was  no  ice,  no  chilly 
winds — no  one  shivered  for  the  want  of  warm  clothes:  no  one  suffered 
for  hunger — no  one  mourned  for  the  dead.  They  saw  no  graves.  They 
heard  of  no  wars.  There  was  no  hunting  of  animals ;  for  the  air  itself 
was  their  food.  Gladly  would  the  young  warrior  have  remained  there 
forever,  but  he  was  obliged  to  go  back  for  his  body.  He  did  not  see 
the  Master  of  Life,  but  he  heard  his  voice  in  a  soft  breeze:  "Go  back, 
said  this  voice,  to  the  land  from  whence  you  came.  Your  time  has  not 
yet  come.  The  duties  for  which  I  made  you,  and  which  you  are  to  per 
form,  are  not  vet  finished.  Return  to  your  people,  and  accomplish 
the  duties  of  a  good  man.  You  will  be  the  ruler  of  your  tribe  for  many 
days.  The  rules  you  must  observe,  will  be  told  you  by  my  messenger, 
who  keeps  the  gate.  When  he  surrenders  back  your  body,  he  will  tell 
you  what  to  do.  Listen  to  him,  and  you  shall  afterwards  rejoin  the  spirit, 
which  you  must  now  leave  behind.  She  is  accepted  and  will  be  ever 
here,  as  young  and  as  happy  as  she  was  when  I  first  called  her  from  the 
land  of  snows."  When  this  voice  ceased,  the  narrator  awoke.  It  was 
the  fancy  work  of  a  dream,  and  he  was  still  in  the  bitter  land  of  snows, 
and  hunger  and  tears. 


THE 

LYNI   AND  THE  HARE. 

A  FABLE  FROM  THE  OJIBWA-ALGONQUIN. 

A  LYNX  almost  famished,  met  a  hare  one  day  in  the  woods,  in  the  winter 
season,  but  the  hare  was  separated  from  its  enemy  by  a  rock,  upon  which 
it  stood.  The  lynx  began  to  speak  to  it  in  a  very  kind  manner.  "  Wa- 
bose !  Wabose  l"  *  said  he,  "  come  here  my  little  white  one,  I  wish  to  talk 
to  you."  "  O  no,"  said  the  hare,  "  1  am  afraid  of  you,  and  my  mother 
told  me  never  to  go  and  talk  with  strangers."  "  You  are  very  pretty," 
replied  the  lynx,  "  and  a  very  obedient  child  to  your  parents ;  but  you  must 
know  that  I  am  a  relative  of  yours  ;  I  wish  to  send  some  word  to  your 
lodge  ;  come  down  and  see  me."  The  hare  was  pleased  to  be  called  pretty, 
and  when  she  heard  that  it  was  a  relative,  she  jumped  down  from  the 
place  where  she  stood,  and  immediately  the  lynx  pounced  upon  her  and 
tore  her  to  pieces. 

*  This  word  appears  to  be  a  derivation  from  the  radix  WAWB,  white.  The  termi 
nation  in  e  is  the  objective  sign.  The  term  is  made  diminutive  in  s. 

6 


THE   WORSHIP   OF   THE    SUN. 
AN  OTTOWA  TRADITION, 


A  LONG  time  ago,  there  lived  an  aged  Odjibwa  and  his  wife,  on  the 
shores  of  Lake  Huron.  They  had  an  only  son,  a  very  beautiful  boy, 
whose  name  was  O-na-wut-a-qut-o,  or  he  that  catches  the  clouds.  The 
family  were  of  the  totem  of  the  beaver.  The  parents  were  very  proud 
of  him,  and  thought  to  make  him  a  celebrated  man,  but  when  he  reached 
the  proper  age,  he  would  not  submit  to  the  We-koon-de-win,  or  fast 
When  this  time  arrived,  they  gave  him  charcoal,  instead  of  his  breakfast, 
but  he  would  not  blacken  his  face.  If  they  denied  him  food,  he  would 
seek  for  birds'  eggs,  along  the  shore,  or  pick  up  the  heads  of  fish  that  had 
been  cast  away,  and  broil  them.  One  day,  they  took  away  violently  the 
food  he  had  thus  prepared,  and  cast  him  some  coals  in  place  of  it.  This 
act  brought  him  to  a  decision.  He  took  the  coals  and  blackened  his  face, 
and  went  out  of  the  lodge.  He  did  not  return,  but  slept  without;  and 
during  the  night,  he  had  a  dream.  He  dreamed  that  he  saw  a  very 
beautiful  female  come  down  from  the  clouds  and  stand  by  his  side.  "  O- 
no-wut-a-qut-o,"  said  she,  "I  am  come  for  you — step  in  my  tracks."  The 
young  man  did  so,  and  presently  felt  himself  ascending  above  the  tops  of 
the  trees — he  mounted  up,  step  by  step,  into  the  air,  and  through  the 
clouds.  His  guide,  at  length,  passed  through  an  orifice,  and  he,  following 
her,  found  himself  standing  on  a  beautiful  plain. 

A  path  led  to  a  splendid  lodge.  He  followed  her  into  it.  It  was  large, 
and  divided  into  two  parts.  On  one  end  he  saw  bows  and  arrows,  clabs 
and  spears,  and  various  warlike  implements  tipped  with  silver.  On  the 
other  end,  were  things  exclusively  belonging  to  females.  This  was  the 
home  of  his  fair  guide,  and  he  saw  that  she  had,  on  the  frame,  a  broad 
rich  belt,  of  many  colours,  which  she  was  weaving.  She  said  to  him: 
"My  brother  is  coming  and  I  must  hide  you."  Putting  him  in  one  cor 
ner,  she  spread  the  belt  over  him.  Presently  the  brother  came  in,  very 
richly  dressed,  and  shining  as  if  he  had  had  points  of  silver  all  over  him. 
He  took  down  from  the  wall  a  splendid  pipe,  together  with  his  sack  of  a- 
pa-ko-ze-gun,  or  smoking  mixture.  When  he  had  finished  regaling  him 
self  in  this  way,  and  laid  his  pipe  aside,  he  said  to  his  sister:  "Nemissa,1 
(which  is,  my  elder  sister,)  "when  will  you  quit  these  practices?  Do  you 
forget  that  the  Greatest  of  the  Spirits  has  commanded  that  you  should  not 

82 


THE    WORSHIP    OP    THE    SUN.  od 

take  away  the  children  from  below?  Perhaps  you  suppose  that  you  have 
concealed  O-na-wut-a-qut-o,  but  do  I  not  know  of  his  coming?  If  you 
would  not  offend  me,  send  him  back  immediately."  But  this  address  did 
not  alter  her  purpose.  She  would  not  send  him  back,  Finding  that  she 
was  purposed  in  her  mind,  he  then  spoke  to  the  young  lad,  and  called  him 
from  his  hiding  place.  "Come  out  of  your  concealment,"  said  he,  "and 
walk  about  and  amuse  yourself.  You  will  grow  hungry  if  you  remain 
there."  He  then  presented  him  a  bow  and  arrows,  and  a  pipe  of  red  stone, 
richly  ornamented.  This  was  taken  as  the  word  of  consent  to  his  mar 
riage  ;  so  the  two  were  considered  husband  and  wife  from  that  time 

O-no-wut-a-qut-o  foun$  every  thing  exceedingly  fair  and  beautiful  around 
him,  but  he  found  no  inhabitants  except  her  brother.  There  were  flowers 
on  the  plains.  There  were  bright  and  sparkling  streams.  There  were 
green  vallies  and  pleasant  trees.  There  were  gay  birds  and  beautiful 
animals,  but  they  were  not  such  as  he  had  been  accustomed  to  see.  There 
was  also  day  and  night,  as  on  the  earth ;  but  he  observed  that  every  morn 
ing  the  brother  regularly  left  the  lodge,  and  remained  absent  all  day;  and 
every  evening  the  sister  departed,  though  it  was  commonly  but  for  a  part 
of  the  night. 

His  curiosity  was  aroused  to  solve  this  mystery.  He  obtained  the 
brother's  consent  to  accompany  him  in  one  of  his  daily  journies.  They 
travelled  over  a  smooth  plain,  without  boundaries,  until  O-no-wut-a-qut-o 
felt  the  gnawings  of  appetite,  and  asked  his  companion  if  there  were  no 
game.  "Patience!  my  brother,"  said  he,  "we  shall  soon  reach  the  spot 
where  I  eat  my  dinner,  and  you  will  then  see  how  I  am  provided."  After 
walking  on  a  long  time,  they  came  to  a  place  which  was  spread  over  with 
fine  mats,  where  they  sat  down  to  refresh  themselves.  There  was,  at  this 
place,  a  hole  through  the  sky  ;  and  O-no-wut-a-qut-o,  looked  down,  at  the 
bidding  of  his  companion,  upon  the  earth.  He  saw  below  the  great  lakes, 
and  the  villages  of  the  Indians.  In  one  place,  he  saw  a  war  party  steal 
ing  on  the  camp  of  their  enemies.  In  another,  he  saw  feasting  and  dancing. 
On  a  green  plain,  young  men  were  engaged  at  ball.  Along  a  stream, 
women  were  employed  in  gathering  the  a-puk-wa  for  mats. 

"Do  you  see,"  said  the  brother,  "that  group  of  children  playing  beside 
a  lodge.  Observe  that  beautiful  and  active  boy,"  said  he,  at  the  same  time 
darting  something  at  him,  from  his  hand.  The  child  immediately  fell, 
and  was  carried  into  the  lodge. 

They  looked  again,  and  saw  the  people  gathering  about  the  lodge. 
They  heard  the  she-she-gwan  of  the  meeta,  and  the  song  he  sung,  asking 
that  the  child's  life  might  be  spared.  To  this  request,  the  companion  of 
O-no-wut-a-qut-o  made  answer — "send  me  up  the  sacrifice  of  a  white  dog." 
Immediately  a  feast  was  ordered  by  the  parents  of  the  child,  the  white  dog 
was  killed,  his  carcass  was  roasted,  and  all  the  wise  men  and  medicine 
men  of  the  village  assembled  to  witness  the  ceremony  "There  are  many 


84  THE    WORSHIP    OF    THE    SUN. 

below,"  continued  the  voice  of  the  brother,  "whom  you  callgreU  in  med 
ical  skill,  but  it  is  because  their  ears  are  open,  and  they  listen  to  my 
voice,  that  they  are  able  to  succeed.  When  I  have  struck  one  with  sick 
ness,  they  direct  the  people  to  look  to  me:  and  when  they  send  me  the 
offering  I  ask,  I  remove  my  hand  from  off  them,  and  they  are  well." 
After  he  had  said  this,  they  saw  the  sacrifice  parcelled  out  in  dishes,  for 
those  who  were  at  the  feast.  The  master  of  the  feast  then  said,  "we  send 
this  to  thee,  Great  Manito,"  and  immediately  the  roasted  animal  came  up. 
Thus  their  dinner  was  supplied,  and  after  they  had  eaten,  they  returned 
to  the  lodge  by  another  way. 

After  this  manner  they  lived  for  some  time;, but  the  place  became 
wearisome  at  last.  O-no-wut-a-qut-o  thought  of  his  friends,  and  wished 
to  go  back  to  them.  He  had  not  forgotten  his  native  village,  and  his 
father's  lodge ;  and.  he  asked  leave  of  his  wife,  to  return.  At  length 
she  consented.  "  Since  you  are  better  pleased,"  she  replied,  with  the 
cares  and  the  ills,  and  the  poverty  of  the  world,  than  with  the  peaceful 
delights  of  the  sky,  and  its  boundless  prairies,  go!  I  give  you  permission, 
and  since  I  have  brought  you  hither,  I  will  conduct  you  back;  but  re 
member,  you  are  still  my  husband,  I  hold  a  chain  in  my  hand  by  which 
I  can  draw  you  back,  whenever  I  will.  My  power  over  you  is  not,  in  any 
manner,  diminished.  Beware,  therefore,  how  you  venture  to  take  a  wife 
among  the  people  below.  Should  you  ever  do  so,  it  is  then  that  you  shall 
feel  the  force  of  my  displeasure." 

As  she  said  this,  her  eyes  sparkled — she  raised  herself  slightly  on  her 
toes,  and  stretched  herself  up,  with  a  majestic  air;  and  at  that  moment,  O 
no-wut-a-qut-o  awoke  from  his  dream.  He  found  himself  on  the  ground, 
near  his  father's  lodge,  at  the  very  spot  where  he  had  laid  himself  down 
to  fast.  Instead  of  the  bright  beings  of  a  higher  world,  he  found  himself 
surrounded  by  his  parents  and  relatives.  His  mother  told  him  he  had 
been  absent  a  year.  The  change  was  so  great,  that  he  remained  for  some 
time  moody  and  abstracted,  but  by  degrees,  he  recovered  his  spirits.  He 
began  to  doubt  the  reality  of  all  he  had  heard  and  seen  above.  At  last, 
he  forgot  the  admonitions  of  his  spouse,  and  married  a  beautiful  young 
woman  of  his  own  tribe.  But  within  four  days,  she  was  a  corpse.  Even 
the  fearful  admonition  was  lost,  and  he  repeated  the  offence  by  a 
second  marriage.  Soon  afterwards,  he  went  out  of  the  lodge,  one  night, 
but  never  returned.  It  was  believed  that  his  wife  had  recalled  him  to  the 
region  of  the  clouds,  where  the  tradition  asserts,  he  still  dwells,  and  walks 
on  the  daily  rounds,  which  he  once  witnessed. 


The  native  tribes  are  a  people  without  maxims  :  One  of  the  few  which 
have  been  noticed  is  this  :  Do  not  tell  a  story  in  the  summer  ;  if  you  do, 
the  toads  will  visit  you. 


SHINGEBISS. 

FROM  THE  ODJIBWA-ALGONQUIN, 

THERE  was  once  a  Shingebiss,  [the  name  of  a  kind  of  duck]  living  alone, 
in  a  solitary  lodge,  on  the  shores  of  the  deep  bay  of  a  lake,  in  the  coldest 
winter  weather.  The  ice  had  formed  on  the  water,  and  he  had  but  four 
logs  of  wood  to  keep  his  fire.  Each  of  these,  would,  however,  burn  a 
month,  and  as  there  were  "but  four  cold  winter  months,  they  were  sufficient 
to  carry  him  through  till  spring. 

Shingebiss  was  hardy  and  fearless,  and  cared  for  no  one.  He  would 
go  out  during  the  coldest  day,  and  seek  for  places  where  flags  and  rushes 
grew  through  the  ice,  and  plucking  them  up  with  his  bill,  would  dive 
through  the  openings,  in  quest  of  fish.  In  this  way  he  found  plenty  of 
food,  while  others  were  starving,  and  he  went  home  daily  to  his  lodge, 
dragging  strings  of  fish  after  him,  on  the  ice. 

Kabebonicca  *  observed  him,  and  felt  a  little  piqued  at  his  perseverance 
and  good  luck  in  defiance  of  the  severest  blasts  of  wind  he  could  send 
from  the  northwest.  "  Why  !  this  is  a  wonderful  man,"  said  he ;  "  he  does 
not  mind  the  cold,  and  appears  as  happy  and  consented,  as  if  it  were  the 
month  of  June.  I  will  try,  whether  he  cannot  be  mastered."  He  poured 
forth  ten-fold  colder  blasts,  and  drifts  of  snow,  so  that  it  was  next  to  impos 
sible  to  live  in  the  open  air.  Still  the  fire  of  Shingebiss  did  not  go  out  : 
he  wore  but  a  single  strip  of  leather  around  his  body,  and  he  was  seen,  in 
the  worst  weather,  searching  the  shores  for  rushes,  and  carrying  home  fish. 

"  I  shall  go  and  visit  him,"  said  Kabebonicca,  one  day,  as  he  saw  Shin 
gebiss  dragging  along  a  quantity  of  fish.  And  accordingly,  that  very 
night,  he  went  to  the  door  of  his  lodge.  Meantime  Shingebiss  had  cooked 
his  fish,  and  finished  his  meal,  and  was  lying,  partly  on  his  side,  before 
the  fire  singing  his  songs.  After  Kabebonicca  had  come  to  the  door,  and 
stood  listening  there,  he  sang  as  follows  : 

Ka  Neej  Ka  Neej 

Be  In  Be  In 

Bon  In  Bon  In 

Oc  Ee.  Oc  Ee. 

Ca  We-ya!  Ca  We-ya ! 

The  number  of  words,  in  this  song,  are  few  and  simple,  but  they  are 
made  up  from  compounds  which  carry  the  whole  of  their  original  mean 
ings,  and  are  rather  suggestive  of  the  ideas  floating  in  the  mind,  than 
actual  expressions  of  those  ideas.  Literally  he  sings  : 

Spirit  of  the  North  West — you  are  but  my  fellow  man. 
*  A  personification  of  the  North  West. 


86  SHINGEBISS. 

By  being  broken  into  syllables,  to  correspond  with  a  simple  chant,  and 
by  the  power  of  intonation  and  repetition,  with  a  chorus,  these  words  are 
expanded  into  melodious  utterance,  if  we  may  be  allowed  the  term,  and 
may  be  thus  rendered  : 

Windy  god,  I  know  your  plan, 
You  are  but  my  fellow  man, 
Blow  you  may  your  coldest  breeze, 
Shingebiss  you  cannot  freeze, 
Sweep  the  strongest  wind  you  can, 
Shingebiss  is  still  your  man, 
Heigh  !  for  life — and  ho  !  for  bliss, 
Who  so  free  as  Shingebiss  ? 

The  hunter  knew  that  Kabebonicca  was  at  his  door,  for  he  felt  his  cold 
and  strong  breath  ;  but  he  kept  on  singing  his  songs,  and  affected  utter 
indifference.  At  length  Kabebonicca  entered,  and  took  his  seat  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  lodge.  But  Shingebiss  did  not  regard,  or  notice  him. 
He  got  up,  as  if  nobody  were  present,  and  taking  his  poker,  pushed  the 
log,  which  made  his  fire  burn  brighter,  repeating  as  he  sat  down  again  : 

You  are  but  my  fellow  man. 

Very  soon  the  tears  began  to  flow  down  Kabebonicca's  cheeks,  which 
increased  so  fast,  that,  presently,  he  said  to  himself,  "  I  cannot  stand  this — 
I  must  go  out."  He  did  so,  and  left  Shingebiss  to  his  songs  ;  but  resolved 
to  freeze  up  all  the  flag  orifices,  and  make  the  ice  thick,  so  that  he  could  not 
get  any  more  fish.  Still  Shingebiss,  by  dint  of  great  diligence,  found 
means  to  pull  up  new  roots,  and  dive  under  for  fish.  At  last  Kabebon 
icca  was  compelled  to  give  up  the  contest.  "  He  must  be  aided  by  some 
Monedo,"  said  he,  "  I  can  neither  freeze  him,  nor  starve  him,  he  is  a  very 
singular  being — I  will  let  him  alone." 


The  introduction  of  the  Saxon  race  into  North  America,  has  had  three 
determined  opponents,  the  life  of  each  of  whom  forms  a  distinct  era.  They 
were  Powhatan,  Metakom,  and  Pontiac.  Each  pursued  the  same  method 
to  accomplish  his  end,  and  each  was  the  indominitable  foe  of  the  race. — 
Sassacus  ought,  perhaps?  to  be  added  to  the  number.  Brant,  was  but  a 
partisan,  and  fought  for  one  branch,  against  another.  Tecumseh,  was 
also,  rather  the  foe  of  the  American  type  of  the  race,  than  the  whole  race. 
The  same  can  be  said  of  lesser  men,  such  as  Little  Turtle,  Buckanjaheela, 
and  Black  Hawk.  Uncas  was  also  a  partisan,  not  a  hater  of  the  white 
race,  and  like  Waub  Ojeeg  in  the  north,  fought,  that  one  tribe  might 
prevail  over  another.  If  the  Saxon  race  profited  by  this,  he  could  not 
help  it.  Tuscaloosa  fought  for  his  tribe's  supremacy  ;  Osceola  for 
revenge. 


EARLY   INDIAN   BIOGRAPHY. 


PIS  K  ARE  T. 

THERE  lived  a  noted  chief  on  the  north  banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence  in 
Jhe  latter  part  of  the  16th  century,  who  was  called  by  the  Iroquois,  Piskaret, 
but  the  true  pronunciation  of  whose  name,  by  his  own  people,  was  Bisco- 
nace,  or  the  Little  Blaze.  Names  are  often  arbitrarily  bestowed  by  the 
Indians,  from  some  trivial  circumstance  in  domestic  life,  or  hunting,  as 
mere  nick  names,  which  take  the  place  of  the  real  names  :  for  it  is  a  prac 
tice  among  this  people  to  conceal  their  real  names,  from  a  subtle,  supersti 
tious  notion,  that,  if  so  known,  they  will  be  under  the  power  of  priestly 
incantation,  or  some  other  evil  influence. 

What  the  real  name  of  this  man  was,  if  it  differed  from  the  above,  is  not 
known,  as  this  was  his  only  appellation.  He  was  an  Adirondak:  that 
is  to  say,  one  of  the  race  of  people  who  were  called  Adirondaks  by  the 
Iroquois,  but  Algonquins  by  the  French.  And  as  the  Algonquins  and 
Iroquois,  had  lately  became  deadly  enemies  and  were  so  then,  the  distinction 
to  which  Bisconace  rose,  was  in  the  conducting  of  the  war  which  his  peo 
ple  waged  against  the  Iroquois,  or  Five  Nations. 

It  seems,  from  the  accounts  of  both  English  and  French  authors,  that 
the  Algonquins,  at  the  period  of  the  first  settlement  of  the  St.  Lawrence, 
were  by  far  the  most  advanced  in  arts  and  knowledge,  and  most  distin 
guished  for  skill  in  war  and  hunting,  of  all  the  nations  in  North  America. 
This  at  least  is  certain,  that  no  chief,  far  or  near,  enjoyed  as  high  a  repu 
tation  for  daring  valor  and  skill  as  Bisconace.  He  is  spoken  of  in  this 
light  by  all  who  name  him ;  he  was  so  fierce,  subtle  and  indomitable  that 
he  became  the  terror  of  his  enemies,  who  were  startled  at  the  very 
mention  of  his  name.  Bisconace  lived  on  the  north  banks  of  the  St.  Law 
rence,  below  Montreal,  and  carried  on  his  wars  against  the  Indians  inhabit 
ing  the  northern  parts  of  the  present  state  of  New  York,  often  proceeding 
by  the  course  of  the  River  Sorel. 

The  period  of  the  Adirondak  supremacy,  embraced  the  close  of  the 
15th  century  and  the  beginning  of  the  16th,  and  at  this  time  the  people  be 
gan  to  derive  great  power  and  boldness,  from  the  possession  of  fire  arms, 
with  which  the  French  supplied  them,  before  their  southern  and  western 
neighbours  came  to  participate  in  this  great  improvement,  this  striking  era 
of  the  Red  man,  in  the  art  of  war.  Golden  is  thought  to  be  a  little  out, 
in  the  great  estimate  he  furnishes  of  the  power,  influence,  and  advances 
of  this  great  family  of  the  Red  Race.  The  French  naturally  puffed  them 
up  a  good  deal ;  but  we  may  admit  that  they  were  most  expert  warriors, 
and  hunters,  and  manufactured  arms  and  canoes,  with  great  skill.  They 

87 


EARLY    INDIAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

were  the  prominent  enemies  of  the  Five  Nations ;  and  like  all  enemies  at 
a  distance  had  a  formidable  name.  The  word  Adirondak  is  one  of  Iro- 
quois  origin;  but  the  French,  who  always  gave  their  own  names  to  the 
Tribes,  and  had  a  policy  in  so  doing,  called  them  Algonquins — a  term 
whose  origin  is  involved  in  some  obscurity.  For  a  time,  they  prevailed 
against  their  enemies  south  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  but  the  latter  were  soon 
furnished  with  arms  by  the  Dutch,  who  entered  the  Hudson  in  1609,  and 
their  allies,  the  Iracoson,  or  Iroquois,  soon  assumed  that  rank  in  war 
which,  if  they  had  before  lacked,  raised  them  to  so  high  a  point  of  pre 
eminence.  It  was  in  that  early  period  of  the  history  of  these  nations  that 
Bisconace  exerted  his  power. 

Where  a  people  have  neither  history  nor  biography,  there  is  but  little 
hope  that  tradition  will  long  preserve  the  memory  of  events.  Some  of 
the  acts  of  this  chief  are  known  through  the  earlier  colonial  writers.  So 
great  was  the  confidence  inspired  in  the  breast  of  this  chief,  by  the  use  of 
fire  arms,  that  he  pushed  into  the  Iroquois  country  like  a  mad  man.  and 
performed  some  feats  against  a  people  armed  with  bows  only,  which  are 
astonishing. 

With  only  four  chiefs  to  aid  him,  he  left  Trois  Rivieres,  on  one  occa 
sion,  in  a  single  canoe,  with  fifteen  loaded  muskets,  thus  giving  three 
pieces,  to  each  man.  Each  piece  was  charged  with  two  balls,  joined  by  a 
small  chain  ten  inches  long.  Soon  after  entering  the  Sorel  river,  he  en 
countered  five  bark  canoes  of  Iroquois,  each  having  ten  men.  To  cloak 
his  ruse  he  pretended  to  give  himself  up  for  lost,  in  view  of  such  a  dis 
parity  of  numbers ;  and  he  and  his  companions  began  to  sing  their  death 
song.  They  had  no  sooner  got  near  their  enemies,  however,  than  they 
began  to  pour  in  their  chain-shot,  riddling  the  frail  canoes  of  the  enemy, 
who  tumbled  into  the  water,  and  sank  under  the  active  blows  of  their 
adversaries,  Some  he  saved  to  grace  his  triumphant  return,  and  these 
were  tortured  at  the  stake. 

On  another  accasion  he  undertook  an  enterprize  alone.  Being  well 
acquainted  with  the  Iroquois  country,  he  set  out,  about  the  time  the  snow 
began  to  melt,  taking  the  precaution  to  put  the  hinder  part  of  his  snow- 
shoes  forward  to  mislead  the  enemy,  in  case  his  track  should  be  discovered. 
As  a  further  precaution,  he  avoided  the  plain  forest  paths,  keeping  along 
the  ridges  and  high  stony  grounds,  where  the  snow  was  melting,  that  his 
track  might  be  often  lost.  When  he  came  near  to  one  of  the  Villages  of 
the  Five  Nations,  he  hid  himself  till  night.  He  then  crept  forth,  and  en 
tered  a  lodge,  where  he  found  every  soul  asleep.  Having  killed  them  all, 
he  took  their  scalps,  and  went  back  to  his  lurking  place.  The  next  day 
the  people  of  the  village  searched  in  vain  for  the  perpetrator.  At  night 
he  again  sallied  forth,  and  repeated  the  act,  on  another  lodge,  with  equal 
secrecy  and  success.  Again  the  villagers  searched,  but  could  find  no 
traces  of  his  footsteps.  They  determined,  however,  to  set  a  watch.  Pis- 


EARLY    INDIAN    BIOGRAPHY.  89 

karet,  anticipating  this,  gathered  up  his  scalps,  and  stole  forth  slyly,  but 
found  the  inhabitants  of  every  lodge  on  the  alert,  save  one,  where  the  sen 
tinel  had  fallen  asleep.  This  man  he  despatched  and  scalped,  but  alarmed 
the  rest,  who  rose  in  the  pursuit.  He  was,  however,  under  no  great 
fears  of  being  overtaken.  One  of  the  causes  of  his  great  confidence  in 
himself  was  found  in  the  fact  that  he  was  the  swiftest  runner  known. 
He  eluded  them  often,  sometimes,  however,  lingering  to  draw  them  on, 
and  tire  them  out.  When  he  had  played  this  trick,  he  hid  himself.  His 
pursuers,  finding  they  had  let  him  escape,  encamped,  thinking  themselves 
in  safety,  but  they  had  no  sooner  fallen  asleep,  than  he  stole  forth  from 
his  lurking  place,  and  despatched  every  one  of  them.  He  added  their 
scalps  to  his  bundle  of  trophies,  and  then  returned. 

Recitals  of  this  kind  flew  from  village  to  village,  and  gave  him  the 
greatest  reputation  for  courage,  adroitness  and  fleetness. 

The  Five  Nations  were,  however,  early  noted  for  their  skill  in  stratagem, 
and  owed  their  early  rise  to  it.  They  were  at  this  era  engaged  in  their 
long,  fierce  and  finally  triumphant  war  against  the  Algonquins  and  Wy- 
andots,  or  to  adopt  the  ancient  terms,  the  Adirondaks  and  Quatoghies. 
These  latter  they  defeated  in  a  great  battle,  fought  within  two  miles  of 
Quebec.  In  this  battle  the  French,  who  were  in  reality  weak  in  number, 
were  neutral.  Their  neutrality,  on  this  occasion,  happened  in  this  way. 
They  had  urged  the  reception  of  priests  upon  the  Five  Nations,  through 
whose  influence,  they  hoped  to  prevail  over  that  people,  and  to  wrest 
western  New  York  from  the  power  of  the  Dutch  and  English.  As  soon 
as  a  number  of  these  missionaries  of  the  sword  and  cross  had  insinuated 
themselves  among  the  Five  Nations,  the  latter  seized  them,  as  hostages  ; 
and,  under  a  threat  of  their  execution,  kept  the  French  quiet  in  this  deci 
sive  battle.  This  scheme  had  succeeded  so  well,  that  it  taught  the  Five 
Nations  the  value  of  negociation  ;  and  they  determined,  the  next  year,  to 
try  another.  Pretending  that  they  were  now  well  satisfied  with  their  tri 
umph  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  they  sent  word  that  they  meant  to  make  a 
formidable  visit  to  Yonnendio,  this  being  the  official  name  they  bestowed 
on  the  governor  of  Canada.  Such  visits  they  always  made  with  great 
pomp  and  show ;  and  on  this  occasion,  they  came  with  1000  or  1200  men. 
On  the  way  to  Quebec,  near  the  river  Nicolet,  their  scouts  met  Piskaret, 
whom  they  cajoled,  and  kept  in  utter  ignorance  of  the  large  force  behind 
until  they  had  drawn  out  of  him  an  important  piece  of  information,  and 
then  put  him  to  death.  They  cut  off  his  head,  and  carried  it  to  the  Iro- 
quois  army.  To  have  killed  him,  was  regarded  as  an  assurance  of  ulti 
mate  victory.  These  scouts  also  carried  to  the  army  the  information, 
which  they  had  obtained,  that  the  Adirondaks  were  divided  into  two 
bodies,  one  of  which  hunted  on  the  river  Nicolet,  and  the  other  at  a  place 
called  Wabmeke,  on  the  north  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  They  immedi- 


90  EARLY    INDIAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

ately  divided  their  forces,  fell  upon  each  body  at  unawares  and  cut  them 
both  to  pieces. 

This  is  the  great  triumph  to  which  Charlevoix^in  his  history  of  New 
France,  alludes.  It  was  the  turning  point  in  the  war  against  the  confederated 
Wyandots,  and  Algonquins,  and,  in  effect,  drove  both  nations,  in  the  end, 
effectually  out  of  the  St.  Lawrence  valley.  The  former  fled  to  Lake  Hu 
ron,  to  which  they  imparted  their  name.  Some  of  the  Adirondaks  took 
shelter  near  Gluebec,  under  the  care  of  the  Jesuits ;  the  larger  number 
went  up  the  Utawas,  to  the  region  of  Lake  Nipising ;  the  Atawairos  fled 
to  a  large  chain  of  islands  in  Lake  Huron,  called  the  Menaloulins ;  other 
bands  scattered  in  other  directions.  Each  one  had  some  local  name;  and 
all,  it  is  probable,  were  well  enough  pleased  to  hide  their  defeat  by  the 
Five  Nations,  under  local  and  geographical  designations.  But  they  had 
no  peace  in  their  refuge.  The  spirit  of  revenge  burned  in  the  breast  of  the 
Iroquois,  particularly  against  their  kindred  tribe,  the  Wyandots,  whom 
they  pursued  into  Lake  Huron,  drove  them  from  their  refuge  at  Michili- 
mackinac,  and  pushed  them  even  to  Lake  Superior,  where  for  many  years, 
this  ancient  tribe  continued  to  dwell. 


The  pernicious  examples  of  white  men,  who  have  conducted  the  Indian 
trade,  their  immoral  habits,  injustice,  and  disregard  of  truth,  and  open 
licentiousness,  have  created  the  deepest  prejudice  in  the  minds  of  the  Red 
men  against  the  whole  European  race. 

The  Indian  only  thinks  when  he  is  forced  to  think,  by  circumstances. 
Fear,  hunger  and  self-preservation,  are  the  three  prominent  causes  of  his 
thoughts.  Affection  and  reverence  for  the  dead,  come  next. 

Abstract  thought  is  the  characteristic  of  civilization.  If  teachers  could 
induce  the  Indians  to  think  on  subjects  not  before  known  to  them,  or  but 
imperfectly  known,  they  would  adopt  one  of  the  most  efficacious  means 
of  civilizing  them. 

Christianity  is  ultraism  to  an  Indian  It  is  so  opposed  to  his  natural 
desires,  that  he.  at  first,  hates  it,  and  decries  it.  Opposite  states  of  feeling, 
however,  affect  him,  precisely  as  they  do  white  men.  What  he  at  first 
hates,  he  may  as  suddenly  love  and  embrace. 

Christianity  is  not  propagated  by  ratiocination,  it  is  the  result  of  feelings 
and  affections  on  the  will  and  understanding.  Hence  an  Indian  can  be 
come  a  Christian. 


THE  SAUSTAWRAYTSEES, 


THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  WYANDOT  AND  SENECA  TRIBES. 

A  WYANDOT  TRADITION. 

TOWARDS  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century,  a  body  of  Indians,  com 
posed  of  the  Wyandots  (or  as  they  were  then  called  the  Saus-taw-ray- 
tsee)  and  Seneca  tribes  inhabited  the  borders  of  Lake  Ontario.  The  pre 
sent  Wyandots  and  Senecas  are  the  remains  of  this  community,  and  of 
the  cause  of  their  separation  and  of  the  relentless  hostilities  by  which  it 
was  succeeded,  the  following  details  are  given  in  the  traditionary  history 
of  the  Wyandots. 

A  Wyandot  girl,  whose  name  for  the  sake  of  distinction  shall  be  Oon- 
yay-stee,  and  in  whom  appeared  united  a  rare  combination  of  moral  attrac 
tions,  and  of  extraordinary  personal  beauty,  had  for  her  suitors,  nearly 
all  the  young  men  of  her  tribe.  As  insensible  however,  as  beautiful,  the 
attentions  of  her  lovers  were  productive  of  no  favorable  effect,  for  though 
none  were  rejected,  yet  neither  was  any  one  distinguished  by  her  partiality. 
This  unaccountable  apathy  became,  in  time,  a  subject  not  only  of  general, 
but  of  common  interest  to  the  young  Wyandots.  A  council  composed  of 
those  interested  in  the  issue  of  these  many  and  importunate  applications 
for  her  favor,  was  held  for  the  purpose  of  devising  some  method,  by  which 
her  intentions  in  relation  to  them  might  be  ascertained.  At  this,  when 
these  amourists  had  severally  conceded,  each,  that  he  could  boast  of  no  in 
dication  of  a  preference  shown  by  Oon-yay-stee  to  himself,  upon  which  to 
found  a  reasonable  hope  of  ultimately  succeeding,  it  was  finally  deter 
mined,  that  their  claims  should  be  withdrawn  in  favor  of  the  War  Chief 
of  their  lodge.  This  was  adopted,  not  so  much  for  the  purpose  of  advan 
cing  the  interests  of  another  to  the  prejudice  of  their  own,  as  to  avoid  the 
humiliating  alternative  of  yielding  the  object  of  so  much  competition  tc 
some  more  fortunate  rival  not  connected  with  their  band. 

It  may  be  here  necessary  to  remark  that  nearly  all  the  suitors  belonged 
to  one  lodge,  and  that  each  of  these  was  a  large  oblong  building,  capable 
of  containing  20  or  30  families,  the  domestic  arrangements  of  which  wer» 
regulated  by  a  war  chief,  acknowledged  as  the  head  of  that  particular  sub 
ordinate  band. 

Many  objections  to  the  task  imposed  on  him  by  this  proposition  were 

91 


92  HISTORICAL  TRADITIONS. 

interposed  by  the  chief,  the  principal  of  which  were,  the  great  disparity  of 
age  and  the  utter  futility  of  any  further  attempt,  upon  the  affections  of  one 
so  obdurate  of  heart.  The  first  was  obviated  by  some  well  applied  com 
mendations  of  his  person,  and  the  second  yielded  to  the  suggestion  that 
women  were  often  capricious,  were  not  always  influenced  by  considera 
tions  the  most  natural,  or  resolvable  to  reasons  the  most  obvious. 

The  chief  then  painted  and  arrayed  himself  as  for  battle,  bestowing 
some  little  additional  adornment  upon  his  person,  to  aid  him  in  this  species 
of  warfare,  with  which  he  was  not  altogether  so  familiar  as  that  in  which 
he  had  acquired  his  reputation  ;  his  practice  having  been  confined  rather  to 
the  use  of  stone-headed  arrows  than  love  darts,  and  his  dexterity  in  the 
management  of  hearts  displayed  rather  in  making  bloody  incisions,  than 
tender  impressions.  Before  he  left  the  lodge,  his  retainers  pledged  them 
selves,  that  if  the  prosecution  of  this  adventure  should  impose  upon  their 
chief  the  necessity  of  performing  any  feat,  to  render  him  better  worthy  the 
acceptance  of  Oon-yay-stee,  they  would  aid  him  in  its  accomplishment, 
and  sustain  him  against  its  consequences  to  the  last  extremity.  It  was  re 
served  for  so  adventurous  a  spirit  that  it  should  be  as  successful  in  love,  as 
it  had  hitherto  been  resistless  in  war. 

After  a  courtship  of  a  few  days,  he  proposed  himself  and  was  condition 
ally  accepted,  but  what  the  nature  of  this  condition  was,  further  than  that 
it  was  indispensable,  Oon-yay-stee  refused  to  tell  him,  until  he  should 
have  given  her  the  strongest  assurances  that  it  should  be  complied  with, 
After  some  hesitation  and  a  consultation  with  the  lovers  who  urged  him 
to  give  the  promise,  he  declared  himself  ready  to  accept  the  terms  of  the 
compact.  Under  her  direction  he  then  pledged  the  word  of  a  warrior, 
that  neither  peril  to  person,  nor  sacrifice  of  affection  should  ever  prevail 
with  him  to  desist,  imprecating  the  vengeance  of  Hau-men-dee-zhoo,  and 
the  persecution  of  Dairh-shoo-oo-roo-no  upon  his  head  if  he  failed  to 
prosecute  to  the  uttermost,  the  enterprise,  if  its  accomplishment  were 
only  possible. 

She  told  him  to  bring  her  the  scalp  of  a  Seneca  chief  whom  she  desig 
nated,  who  for  some  reason  she  chose  not  to  reveal,  was  the  object  of  her 
hatred. 

The  Wyandot  saw  too  late,  that  he  was  committed.  He  besought  her 
to  reflect,  that  this  man  was  his  bosom  friend,  they  had  eaten  and  drank 
and  grown  up  together — and  how  heavy  it  would  make  his  heart  to  think 
that  his  friend  had  perished  by  his  hand.  He  remonstrated  with  her  or? 
the  cruelty  of  such  a  requisition,  on  the  infamy  of  such  an  outrage  of  con- 
fidence'and  the  execration  which  would  forever  pursue  the  author  of  an 
action  so  accursed.  But  his  expostulations  were  made  to  deaf  ears.  She 
told  him  either  to  redeem  his  pledge,  or  consent  to  be  proclaimed  for  a 
lying  dog,  whose  promises  were  unworthy  ever  to  be  heard,  and  then  left 
him. 


HISTORICAL    TRADITIONS. 


93 


An  hour  had  hardly  elapsed,  before  the  infuriated  Wyandot  blackened 
his  face,  entered  the  Seneca  Village,  tomahawked  and  scalped  his  friend, 
and  as  he  rushed  out  of  the  lodge  shouted  the  scalp-whoop.  In  the  dark 
ness  of  the  night  his  person  could  not  be  distinguished,  and  he  was  chal 
lenged  by  a  Seneca  to  whom  he  gave  his  name,  purpose,  and  a  defiance 
and  then  continued  his  flight.  But  before  it  had  terminated,  the  long 
mournful  scalp-whoop  of  the  Senecas  was  resounding  through  the  Wy 
andot  Village;  and  the  chief  had  hardly  joined  in  the  furious  conflict  that 
ensued  between  the  avengers  of  his  murdered  victim  and  his  own  retain 
ers,  before  he  paid  with  his  life  the  forfeit  of  his  treachery. 

After  a  deadly  and  sustained  combat  for  three  days  and  nights,  with 
alternate  success,  the  Wyandots  were  compelled  to  retire,  deserting  their 
village  and  abandoning  their  families  to  such  mercy  as  might  be  granted 
by  an  infuriated  enemy.  Those  who  were  left,  sunk  under  the  tomahawk 
and  scalping  knife — the  village  was  devastated — and  the  miserable  author 
of  the  bloody  tragedy  herself  perished  amid  this  scene  of  indiscriminate 
slaughter  and  desolation. 

This  war  is  said  to  have  continued  for  a  period  of  more  than  30  years, 
in  which  time,  the  Wyandots  had  been  forced  backwards  as  far  as  Lakes 
Huron  and  Michigan.  Here  they  made  an  obstinate  stand,  from  which  all 
the  efforts  of  their  relentless  enemies  to  dislodge  them  were  ineffectual. 
Their  inveterate  hatred  of  each  other  was  fostered  by  the  war  parties  of 
the  respective  tribes,  whose  vindictive  feelings  led  them  to  hunt  and  de 
stroy  each  other,  like  so  many  beasts  of  the  forest.  These  resulted  gene 
rally  in  favor  of  the  Wyandots,  who,  inspirited  by  these  partial  successes, 
prepared  for  more  active  operations.  Three  encounters  took  place,  on  the 
same  day,  two  being  had  on  Lake  Michigan  and  one  on  Lake  Erie,  and 
which  from  their  savage  and  exterminating  character,  closed  this  long  and 
merciless  contest.  It  is  somewhat  remarkable,  as  no  other  tradition  makes 
mention  of  an  Indian  battle  upon  water,  that  one  of  these,  said  to  have 
occurred  on  Lake  Erie,  between  Long  Point  and  Fort  Talbot,  was  fought 
in  canoes.  Of  this  the  following  detail  is  given. 

A  large  body  of  Wyandots  accompanied  by  two  Ottawas  left  Lake  Hu 
ron  in  birch  canoes,  on  a  war  excursion  into  the  country  of  the  Senecas, 
who  had  settled  at  this  time,  near  the  head  of  the  Niagara  river.  They 
put  ashore  at  Long  Point  to  cook,  when  one  of  the  Ottawas  and  a  Wyan 
dot  were  sent  out  as  spies  to  reconnoitre.  They  had  proceeded  but  a  short 
distance  from  the  camp,  when  they  met  two  Senecas,  who  had  been  de 
spatched  by  their  party  for  the  like  purposes,  and  from  whom  they  instantly 
fled.  The^)ttawa  finding  his  pursuers  gaming  upon  him,  hid  himself  in 
the  branches  of  a  spruce  tree,  where  he  remained  till  the  Seneca  had 
passed.  The  Wyandot,  fleeter  of  foot,  succeeded  in  reaching  his  camp 
and  gave  the  alarm,  when  the  whole  body  embarked  and  pushed  out  intc 
the  lake.  In  another  moment  a  party  of  Senecas  was  discovered,  turniu 


94  EARLY    SKETCHES    OF    INDIAN   WOMEN. 

the  nearest  point  of  land  in  wooden  canoes.  Immediately  the  war-whoops 
were  sounded  and  the  hostile  bands  began  to  chant  their  respective  songs. 
As  they  slowly  approached  each  other,  the  Wyandots  struck  a  fire,  and 
prepared  their  gum  and  bark  to  repair  any  damage  which  might  occur  to 
the  canoes.  The  battle  was  fought  with  bows  and  arrows,  and  after  a 
furious  and  obstinate  contest  of  some  hours,  in  which  the  carnage  waa 
dreadful,  and  the  canoes  were  beginning  to  fill  with  blood,  water  and  man 
gled  bodies,  the  Senecas  began  to  give  way.  The  encouraged  Wyandots 
fought  with  redoubled  ardor,  driving  the  Senecas  to  the  shore,  where  the 
conflict  was  renewed  with  unabated  fury.  The  Wyandots  were  victorious, 
and  few  of  the  surviving  Senecas  escaped  to  tell  the  story  of  their  defeat. 
One  of  the  prisoners,  a  boy,  was  spared  and  adopted  by  the  nation.  Two 
Wyandots  are  now  living  who  profess  to  have  seen  him,  when  very  fai 
advanced  in  years. 

The  two  other  attacks  to  which  allusion  has  been  made,  as  occurring 
on  the  borders  of  Lake  Michigan,  were  not  more  fortunate  in  their  issue. 
The  Senecas  were  repulsed  with  great  slaughter. 

Thus,  say  the  Wyandots,  originated  this  long,  bloody  and  disastrous 
war,  and  thus  it  terminated  after  proving  nearly  the  ruin  of  our  nation. 

.  HO-TSHUNG-RAH. 

Upper  Sandusky,  March  1st,  1827. 


EARLY  SKETCHES  OF  INDIAN  WOMEN. 

THE  oldest  books  we  possess  written  by  the  first  observers  of  our  In 
dians  abound  in  interest.  Among  these  is  a  small  work  by  William  Wood, 
who  visited  Plymouth  and  Massachusetts  soon  after  their  settlement,  and 
published  his  "New  England's  Prospect"  in  London,  in  1634. 

The  following  extract  from  this  book,  (now  very  scarce,)  we  make 
here,  partly  for  the  purpose  which  the  author  declares  he  had  in  view  in 
writing  it,  viz. :  to  excite  the  special  interest  of  our  female  readers,  though 
the  good  humour  and  wit,  as  well  as  the  benevolence  of  the  writer,  will 
doubtless  commend  it  to  persons  of  both  sexes.  That  we  may  not  run 
the  risk  of  losing  any  of  the  effect  of  the  quaint,  old-fashioned  style  of 
the  original,  we  have  been  careful  to  preserve  the  author's  orthography 
and  punctuation,  together  with  the  long  sentences,  for  whichfas  well  as 
many  of  his  contemporaries,  he  was  remarkable.  We  have  omitted  short 
and  unimportant  passages  in  a  few  places,  marked  with  asterisks.  E* 


WASB  ASH  AS; 

OR, 

THE  TRIBE  THAT  GREW  OUT  OF  A  SHELL. 

AN    OSAGE    LEGEND. 

There  was  a  snail  living  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Missouri,  where  he 
found  plenty  of  food,  and  wanted  nothing.  But  at  length  the  waters  be 
gan  to  rise  and  overflow  its  banks,  and  although  the  little  animal  clung 
to  a  log,  the  flood  carried  them  both  away :  they  floated  along  for  many 
days.  When  the  water  fell,  the  poor  snail  was  left  in  the  mud  and  slime, 
on  shore.  The  heat  of  the  sun  came  out  so  strong,  that  he  was  soon  fixed 
in  the  slime  and  could  not  stir.  He  could  no  longer  get  any  nourish 
ment.  He  became  oppressed  with  heat  and  drought.  He  resigned  him 
self  to  his  fate  and  prepared  to  die.  But  all  at  once,  he  felt  a  renewed 
vigour.  His  shell  burst  open,  and  he  began  to  rise.  His  head  gradually 
rose  above  the  ground,  he  felt  his  lower  extremities  assuming  the  charac 
ter  of  feet  and  legs.  Arms  extended  from  his  sides.  He  felt  their  ex 
tremities  divide  into  fingers.  In  fine  he  rose,  under  the  influence  of  one 
day's  sun,  into  a  tall  and  noble  man.  For  a  while  he  remained  in  a  dull 
ind  stupid  state.  He  had  but  little  activity,  and  no  clear  thoughts. 
These  all  came  by  degrees,  and  when  his  recollections  returned,  he  re 
solved  to  travel  back  to  his  native  land. 

But  he  was  naked  and  ignorant.  The  first  want  he  felt  was  hunger. 
He  saw  beasts  and  birds,  as  he  walked  along,  but  he  knew  not  how  to 
kill  them.  He  wished  himself  again  a  snail,  for  he  knew  how,  in  that 
form,  to  get  his  food.  At  length  he  became  so  weak,  by  walking  and 
fasting,  that  he  laid  himself  down,  on  a  grassy  bank,  to  die.  He  had  not 
laid  long,  when  he  heard  a  voice  calling  him  by  name.  "  Was-bas-has," 
exclaimed  the  voice.  He  looked  up,  and  beheld  the  Great  Spirit  sitting 
on  a  white  horse.  His  eyes  glistened  like  stars.  The  hair  of  his  head 
shone  like  the  sun.  He  could  not  bear  to  look  upon  him.  He  trembled 
from  head  to  foot.  Again  the  voice  spoke  to  him  in  a  mild  tone* 
"  Was-bas-has !  Why  do  you  look  terrified  ?"  "  I  tremble,"  he  replied, 
because  1  stand  before  Him  who  raised  me  from  the  ground.  I  am  faint 

95 


WASBASHAS. 

and  hungry, — I  have  eaten  nothing  since  the  floods  left  me  upon  the  shore 
—a  little  shell." 

The  Great  Spirit  here  lifted  up  his  hands  and  displaying-  a  bow  and 
arrows,  told  him  to  look  at  him.  At  a  distance  sat  a  bird  on  a  tree.  He 
put  an  arrow  to  the  string,  and  pulling  it  with  force,  brought  down  the 
beautiful  object.  At  this  moment  a  deer  came  in  sight.  He  placed  ano 
ther  arrow  to  the  string,  and  pierced  it  through  and  through.  "  These" 
said  he,  "  are  your  food,  and  these  are  your  arms,"  handing  him  the  bo*w 
and  arrows.  He  then  instructed  him  how  to  remove  the  skin  of  the  deer, 
and  prepare  it  for  a  garment.  "  You  are  naked,"  said  he,  "  and  must  be 
clothed ;  it  is  now  warm,  but  the  skies  will  change,  and  bring  rains,  and 
snow,  and  cold  winds."  Having  said  this,  he  also  imparted  the  gift  of  fire, 
and  instructed  him  how  to  roast  the  flesh.  He  then  placed  a  collar  of 
wampum  around  his  neck.  "  This,"  said  he,  "  is  your  authority  over  all 
beasts."  Having  done  this,  both  horse  and  rider  rose  up,  and  vanished 
from  his  sight. 

Was-bas-has  refreshed  himself,  and  now  pursued  his  way  to  his  native 
land.  He  had  seated  himself  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  was  medita 
ting  on  what  had  passed,  when  a  large  beaver  rose  up  from  the  channel 
and  addressed  him.  "  Who  art  thou ;"  said  the  beaver,  "  that  comest  here 
to  disturb  my  ancient  reign  ?"  "  I  am  a  man"  he  replied  ;  "  I  was  once  a  shett, 
a  creeping  shell ;  but  who  art  thou  ?"  "  I  am  king  of  the  nation  of  beavers," 
he  answered :  "  I  lead  my  people  up  and  down  this  stream ;  we  are  a  busy 
people,  and  the  river  is  my  dominion."  "I  must  divide  it  with  you,"  re 
torted  Was-bas-has.  "  The  Great  Spirit  has  placed  me  at  the  head  of 
beasts  and  birds,  fishes  and  fowl ;  and  has  provided  me  with  the  power 
of  maintaining  my  rights."  Here  he  held  up  the  bow  and  arrows,  and 
displayed  the  collar  of  shells  around  his  neck.  "  Come,  come,"  said  the 
Beaver,  modifying  his  tone,  "  I  perceive  we  are  brothers. — Walk  with  me 
to  my  lodge,  and  refresh  yourself  after  your  journey,"  and  so  saying  he 
led  the  way.  The  Snail-Man  willingly  obeyed  his  invitation,  and  had 
no  reason  to  repent  of  his  confidence.  They  soon  entered  a  fine  large  vil 
lage,  and  his  host  led  him  to  the  chiefs  lodge.  It  was  a  well-built  room, 
of  a  cone-shape,  and  the  floor  nicely  covered  with  mats.  As  soon  as 
they  were  seated,  the  Beaver  directed  his  wife  and  daughter  to  prepare 
food  for  their  guest.  While  this  was  getting  ready,  the  Beaver  chief 
thought  he  would  improve  his  opportunity  by  making  a  fast  friend  of  so 
superior  a  being ;  whom  he  saw,  at  the  same  time,  to  be  but  a  novice. 
He  informed  him  of  the  method  they  had  of  cutting  down  trees,  with  their 
teeth,  and  of  felling  them  across  streams,  so  as  to  dam  up  the  water,  and  de 
scribed  the  method  of  finishing  their  dams  with  leaves  and  clay.  He  also 
instructed  him  in  the  way  of  erecting  lodges,  and  with  other  wise  and 
seasonable  conversation  beg~iiled  the  time.  His  wife  and  daughter  now 
entered,  bringing  in  vassat  of  fresh  peeled  poplar,  and  willow,  and  sassa- 


INDIAN    MA 


ORIGIN    OP   THE    DORMOUSE.  97 

fras,  and  aider  bark,  which  is  the  most  choice  food  known  to  them.  Of 
this,  Was-bas-has  made  a  merit  of  tasting,  while  his  entertainer  devoured 
't  with  pleasure.  He  was  pleased  with  the  modest  looks  and  deportment  of 
.he  chiefs  daughter,  and  her  cleanly  and  neat  attire,  and  her  assiduous 
attention  to  the  commands  of  her  father.  This  was  ripened  into  esteem 
by  the  visit  he  made  her.  A  mutual  attachment  ensued.  A  union  was 
proposed  to  the  father,  who  was  rejoiced  to  find  so  advantageous  a  match 
for  his  daughter.  A  great  feast  was  prepared,  to  which  all  the  beavers, 
and  other  animals  on  good  terms  with  them,  were  invited.  The  Snail- 
Man  and  the  Beaver-Maid  were  thus  united,  and  this  union  is  the  origin 
of  the  Osages.  So  it  is  said  by  the  old  people. 


THE  BOY  WHO  SET  A  SNARE  FOR  THE  SUN; 


THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  KUG-E-BEENG-WA-KWA,*  OR  DORMOUSE. 

FROM   THE    ODJIBWA   ALGONQUIN. 

At  the  time  when  the  animals  reigned  in  the  earth,  they  had  killed  all 
but  a  girl,  and  her  little  brother,  and  these  two  were  living  in  fear  and  se 
clusion.  The  boy  was  a  perfect  pigmy,  and  never  grew  beyond  the  stature 
of  a  small  infant ;  but  the  girl  increased  with  her  years,  so  that  the  labor 
of  providing  food  and  lodging  devolved  wholly  on  her.  She  went  out 
daily  to  get  wood  for  their  lodge-fire,  and  took  her  little  brother  along  that 
no  accident  might  happen  to  him ;  for  he  was  too  littlo  to  leave  alone.  A 
big  bird  might  have  flown  away  with  him.  She  made  him  a  bow  and 
arrowa,  and  said  to  him  one  day,  "  I  will  leave  you  behind  where  I  have 
been  chopping — you  must  hide  yourself,  and  you  will  soon  see  the  Git- 
shee-gitshee-gaun,  ai  see-ug  or  snow  birds,  come  and  pick  the  worms  out  of 
the  wood,  where  I  have  been  chopping,"  (for  it  was  in  the  winter.)  "  Shoot 
one  of  them  and  bring  it  home."  He  obeyed  her,  and  tried  his  best  to  kill 
one,  but  came  home  unsuccessful.  She  told  him  he  must  not  despair,  but 
try  again  the  next  day.  She  accordingly  left  him  at  the  place  she  got 
wood,  and  returned.  Towards  nightfall,  she  heard  his  little  footsteps  on 
the  snow,  and  he  came  in  exultingly,  and  threw  down  one  of  the  birds, 
which  he  had  killed.  «  My  sister,"  said  he,  "  I  wish  you  to  skin  it  and 
stretch  the  skin,  and  when  I  have  killed  more,  I  will  have  a  coat  made 
out  of  them."  "  But  what  shall  we  do  with  the  body  T  said  she :  for  as  yet 
men  had  not  begun  to  eat  animal  food,  but  lived  on  vegetables  alone. 
"  Cut  it  in  two,"  he  answered,  «  and  season  our  pottage  with  one  half  of  it 

*  Blind  Woman. 
7 


98  ORIGIN   OP   THE    DORMOUSE. 

at  a  time."  She  did  so.  The  boy,  who  was  of  a  very  small  stature,  con 
tinued  his  efforts,  and  succeeded  in  killing  ten  birds,  out  of  the  skins  of 
which  his  sister  made  him  a  little  coat. 

"  Sister,"  said  he  one  day,  "are  we  all  alone  in  the  world  ?  Is  there  nobody 
else  living?"  She  told  him  that  those  they  feared  and  who  had  destroyed 
their  relatives  lived  in  a  certain  quarter,  and  that  he  must  by  no  means  go 
in  that  direction.  This  only  served  to  inflame  his  curiosity  and  raise  his 
ambition,  and  he  soon  after  took  his  bow  and  arrows  and  went  in  that 
direction.  After  walking  a  long  time  and  meeting  nothing,  he  became 
tired,  and  lay  down  on  a  knoll,  where  the  sun  had  melted  the  snow.  He 
fell  fast  asleep ;  and  while  sleeping,  the  sun  beat  so  hot  upon  him,  that  it 
singed  and  drew  up  his  bird-skin  coat,  so  that  when  he  awoke  and 
stretched  himself,  he  felt  bound  in  it,  as  it  were.  He  looked  down  and 
saw  the  damage  done  to  his  coat.  He  flew  into  a  passion  and  upbraided 
the  sun,  and  vowed  vengeance  against  it.  "  Do  not  think  you  are  too 
high,"  said  he,  UI  shall  revenge  myself." 

On  coming  home  he  related  his  disaster  to  his  sister,  and  lamented  bit 
terly  the  spoiling  of  his  coat.  He  would  not  eat.  He  lay  down  as  one- 
that  fasts,  and  did  not  stir,  or  move  his  position  for  ten  days,  though  she 
tried  all  she  could  to  arouse  him.  At  the  end  of  ten  days,  he  turned  over, 
and  then  lay  ten  days  on  the  other  side.  When  he  got  up,  he  told  his 
sister  to  make  him  a  snare,  for  he  meant  to  catch  the  sun.  She  said  she 
had  nothing ;  but  finally  recollected  a  little  piece  of  dried  deer's  sinew,  that 
her  father  had  left,  which  she  soon  made  into  a  string  suitable  for  a  noose. 
But  the  moment  she  showed  it  to  him,  he  told  her  it  would  not  do,  and 
bid  her  get  something  else.  She  said  she  had  nothing — nothing  at  all. 
At  last  she  thought  of  her  hair,  and  pulling  some  of  it  out  of  her  head, 
made  a  string.  But  he  instantly  said  it  would  not  answer,  and  bid  her, 
pettishly,  and  with  authority,  make  him  a  noose.  She  told  him  there 
was  nothing  to  make  it  of,  and  went  out  of  the  lodge.  She  said  to  her 
self,  when  she  had  got  without  the  lodge,  and  while  she  was  all  alone, 
"neow  obewy  indapin."  This  she  did,  and  twisting  them  into  a  tiny 
cord  she  handed  it  to  her  brother.  The  moment  he  saw  this  curious 
braid  he  was  delighted.  "  This  will  do,"  he  said,  and  immediately  put  it 
to  his  mouth  and  began  pulling  it  through  his  lips  ;  and  as  fast  as  he  drew 
it  changed  it  into  a  red  metal  cord,  which  he  wound^around  his  body  and 
shoulders,  till  he  had  a  large  quantity.  He  then  prepared  himself,  and 
set  out  a  little  after  midnight,  that  he  might  catch  the  sun  before  it  rose. 
He  fixed  his  snare  on  a  spot  just  where  the  sun  would  strike  the  land,  as 
it  rose  above  the  earth's  disc  ;  and  sure  enough,  he  caught  the  sun,  so  that 
it  was  held  fast  in  the  cord,  and  did  not  rise. 

The  animals  who  ruled  the  earth  were  immediately  put  into  a  great 
commotion.  They  had  no  light.  They  called  a  council  to  debate  upon 
the  matter,  and  to  appoint  some  one  to  go  and  cut  the  cord — for  this 


AMPATA    SAPA. 


99 


was  a  very  hazardous  enterprize,  as  the  rays  of  the  sun  would  burr  who 
ever  came  so  near  to  them.  At  last  the  dormouse  undertook  it — for  at 
this  time  the  dormouse  was  the  largest  animal  in  the  world.  When  it 
stood  up  it  looked  like  a  mountain.  When  it  got  to  the  place  where  the 
sun  was  snared,  its  back  began  to  smoke  and  burn,  with  the  intensity  of 
the  heat,  and  the  top  of  its  carcass  was  reduced  to  enormous  heaps  of 
ashes.  It  succeeded,  however,  in  cutting  the  cord  with  its  teeth,  and  free 
ing  the  sun,  but  it  was  reduced  to  a  very  small  size,  and  has  remained 
so  ever  since.  Men  call  it  the  Kug-e-been-gvva-kwa. 


AMPATA     SAPA; 

OR, 

THE  FIRST-WIFE. 

A    TRADITION    OF    THE    DACOTAHS. 

AMPATA  SAPA  was  the  wife  of  a  brave  young  hunter  and  warrior,  by 
whom  she  had  two  children.  They  lived  together  in  great  happiness, 
which  was  only  varied  by  the  changes  of  a  forest  life.  Sometimes  they 
lived  on  the  prairies ;  sometimes  they  built  their  wigwam  in  the  forest, 
near  the  banks  of  a  stream,  and  they  paddled  their  canoe  up  and  down  the 
rivers.  In  these  trips  they  got  fish,  when  they  were  tired  of  wild  meats. 
In  the  summer  season  they  kept  on  the  open  grounds  ;  in  the  winter,  they 
fixed  their  camp  in  a  sheltered  position,  in  the  woods.  The  very  change 
of  their  camp  was  a  source  of  pleasure,  for  they  were  always  on  the  look 
out  for  something  new.  They  had  plenty,  and  they  wanted  nothing. 

In  this  manner  the  first  years  of  their  marriage  passed  away.  But  it  so 
happened,  that  as  years  went  by,  the  reputation  of  her  husband  in  the  tribe 
increased,  and  he  soon  came  to  be  regarded  as  a  Weetshahstshy  Atapee,  or 
chief.  This  opened  a  new  field  for  his  ambition  and  pride.  The  fame 
of  a  chief,  it  is  well  known,  is  often  increased  by  the  number  of  his  wives. 
His  lodge  was  now  thronged  with  visitors.  Some  came  to  consult  him  ; 
some  to  gain  his  favour.  All  this  gave  Ampata  Sapa  no  uneasiness,  for 
the  Red  People  like  to  have  visitors,  and  to  show  hospitality.  The  first  thing 
that  caused  a  jar  in  her  mind,  was  the  rumour  that  her  husband  was  about 
to  take  a  new  wife.  This  was  like  a  poison  in  her  veins  ;  for  she  had  a  big 
heart.  She  was  much  attached  to  her  husband,  and  she  could  not  bear 
the  idea  of  sharing  his  affections  with  another.  But  she  found  that  the 
idea  had  already  got  strong  hold  of  her  husband's  mind,  and  her  remon 
strances  did  little  good.  He  defended  himself  on  the  ground,  that  it  would 
give  him  greater  influence  in  the  tribe  if  he  took  the  daughter  of  a  noted 


100  AMPATA    SAPA. 

shief.  But  before  he  had  time  to  bring  her  to  his  lodge,  Ampata  Sapa 
had  fled  from  it,  taking  her  two  children,  and  returned  to  her  father's 
lodge.  Her  father  lived  at  some  distance,  and  here  she  remained  a  short 
time  in  quiet.  The  whole  band  soon  moved  up  the  Mississippi,  to  their 
hunting  ground.  She  was  glad  to  go  with  them,  and  would,  indeed,  have 
been  glad  to  go  any  where,  to  get  farther  from  the  lodge  of  her  faithless 
husband. 

Here  the  winter  wore  away.  When  the  Spring  opened,  they  came 
back  again  to  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  mended  and  fitted  up  the  canoes, 
which  they  had  left  in  the  fall.  In  these  they  put  their  furs,  and  de 
scended  to  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony.  Ampata  Sapa  lingered  behind  a 
short  time  the  morning  of  their  embarkation,  as  they  began  to  draw  near 
the  rapids  which  precede  the  great  plunge.  She  then  put  her  canoe  in 
the  water,  and  embarked  with  her  children.  As  she  approached  the  falls, 
the  increasing  velocity  of  the  current  rendered  the  paddles  of  but  little 
use.  She  rested  with  her's  suspended  in  her  hands,  while  she  arose,  and 
uttered  her  lament : 

"It  was  him  only  that  I  loved,  with  the  love  of  my  heart.  It  was  for 
him  that  I  prepared,  with  joy,  the  fresh  killed  meat,  and  swept  with 
boughs  my  lodge-fire.  It  was  for  him  I  dressed  the  skin  of  the  noble  deer, 
and  worked,  with  my  hands,  the  Moccasins  that  graced  his  feet. 

I  waited  while  the  sun  ran  his  daily  course,  for  his  return  from  the 
chase,  and  I  rejoiced  in  my  heart  when  I  heard  his  manly  footsteps  ap 
proach  the.  lodge.  He  threw  down  his  burden  at  the  door — it  was  a 
haunch  of  the  deer  ; — I  flew  to  prepare  the  meat  for  his  use. 

My  heart  was  bound  up  in  him,  and  he  was  all  the  world  to  me.  But 
he  has  left  me  for  another,  and  life  is  now  a  burden  which  I  cannot  tear. 
L'ven  my  children  add  to  my  griefs — they  look  so  much  like  him.  How 
can  I  support  life,  when  alt  its  moments  are  bitter !  I  have  lifted  up  my 
voice  to  the  Master  of  life.  I  have  asked  him  to  take  back  that  life,  which 
he  gave,  and  which  I  no  longer  wish.  I  am  on  the  current  that  hastens 
to  fulfil  my  prayer.  I  see  the  white  foam  of  the  water.  It  is  my  shroud. 
I  hear  the  deep  murmur  from  below.  It  is  my  funeral  song.  Farewell. 

It  was  too  late  to  arrest  her  course.  She  had  approached  too  near  the 
abyss,  before  her  purpose  was  discovered  by  her  friends.  They  beheld 
her  enter  the  foam — they  saw  the  canoe  for  an  instant,  on  the  verge,  and 
then  disappear  for  ever.  Such  was  the  end  of  Ampata  Sapa  ;  and  they  say 
her  canoe  can  sometimes  be  seen,  by  moonlight,  plunging  over  the  falls. 


Internal  dissention  has  done  more  to  destroy  the  Indian  power  in 
America,  than  the  white  man's  sword.  Could  the  tribes  learn  the  wis 
dom  of  confederation,  they  might  yet  be  saved.  This  is  a  problem  now 
undergoing  an  interesting  process  of  solution. 


MUKAKEE    MINDEMOEA; 

OR, 

THE  TOAD-WOMAN- 

AN  ODJIBWA  TALE. 

GREAT  good  luck  once  happened  to  a  young  woman  who  was  living  all 
lione  in  the  woods,  with  nobody  near  her  but  her  littl^  dog,  for,  tq  her  sur 
prise,  she  found  fresh  meat  every  morning  at  her  door.  She  felt  very 
anxious  to  know  who  it  was  that  supplied  her,  and  watching  one  morning, 
very  early,  she  saw  a  handsome  young  man  deposit  the  meat.  After  his 
being  seen  by  her,  he  became  her  husband,  and  she  had  a  son  by  him. 
One  day  not  long  after  this,  the  man  did  not  return  at  evening,  as  usual, 
from  hunting.  She  waited  till  ]ate  at  night,  but  all  in  vain.  Next  day 
she  swung  her  baby  to  sleep  in  its  tikenagun,  or  cradle,  and  then  said  to 
her  dog :  "  Take  care  of  your  brother  whilst  I  am  gone,  and  when  he 
cries,  halloo  for  me."  The  cradle  was  «nade  of  the  finest  wampum,  and 
all  its  bandages  and  decorations  were  ot  the  same  costly  material.  After 
a  short  time  the  woman  heard  the  cry  of  her  faithful  dog,  and  running 
home  as  fast  as  she  could,  she  found  her  child  gone  and  the  dog  too. 
But  on  looking  round,  she  saw  pieces  of  the  wampum  of  her  child's  cradle 
bit  off  by  the  dog,  who  strove  to  retain  the  child  and  prevent  his  being 
carried  off  by  an  old  woman  called  Mukakee  Mindemoea,  or  the  Toad- 
Woman.  The  mother  followed  at  full  speed,  and  occasionally  came  to 
lodges  inhabited  by  old  women,  who  told  her  at  what  time  the  thief  had 
passed  ;  they  also  gave  her  shoes,  that  she  might  follow  on.  There  were 
a  number  of  these  old  women,  who  seemed  as  if  they  were  all  prophetesses. 
Each  of  them  would  say  to  her,  that  when  she  arrived  in  pursuit  of  her 
stolen  child  at  the  next  lodge,  she  must  set  the  toes  of  the  moccasins  they 
had  loaned  her  pointing  homewards,  and  they  would  return  of  themselves. 
She  would  get  others  from  her  entertainers  farther  on,  who  would  also 
give  her  directions  how  to  proceed  to  recover  her  son.  She  thus  followed 
in  the  pursuit,  from  valley  to  valley,  and  stream  to  stream,  for  months  and 
years ;  when  she  came,  at  length,  to  the  lodge  of  the  last  of  the  friendly  old 
Nocoes,  or  grandmothers,  as  they  were  called,  who  gave  her  final  instruc. 
tions  how  to  proceed.  She  told  her  she  was  near  the  place  where  her  son 
was,  and  directed  her  to  build  a  lodge  of  shingoob,  or  cedar  boughs,  near 
the  old  Toad- Woman's  lodge,  and  to  make  a  little  bark  dish  and  squeeze 
her  milk  into  it.  "  Then,"  she  said,  "  your  first  child  (meaning  the  dog) 
will  come  and  find  you  out "  She  did  accordingly,  and  in  a  short  time 


102  MUKAKEE    MINDEMOEA. 

she  heard  her  son,  now  grown,  going  out  to  hunt,  with  his  dog,  calling  on 
to  him,  "  Monedo  Pewaubik  (that  is,  Steel  or  Spirit  Iron,)  Twee  « 
Twee!"  She  then  set  ready  the  dish  and  filled  it  with  her  milk.  The 
dog  soon  scented  it  and  came  into  the  lodge ;  she  placed  it  before  him. 
"  See  my  child,"  said  she,  addressing  him,  "  the  food  you  used  to  have 
from  me,  your  mother."  The  dog  went  and  told  his  young  master  that 
he  had  found  his  real  mother  ;  and  informed  him  that  the  old  woman,  whom 
he  called  his  mother,  was  not  his  mother,  that  she  had  stolen  him  when  an 
infant  in  his  cradle,  and  that  he  had  himself  followed  her  in  hopes  of  get 
ting  him  back.  The  young  man  and  his  dog  then  went  on  their  hunting 
excursion,  and  brought  back  a  great  quantity  of  meat  of  all  kinds.  He 
said  to  his  pretended  mother,  as  he  laid  it  down.  "Send  some  to  the 
stranger  that  has  arrived  lately."  The  old  hag  answered,  "  No !  why 
should  I  send  to  her — the  Sheegowish."*  He  insisted  ;  and  she  at  last 
consented  to  take  something,  throwing  it  in  at  the  door,  with  the  remark, 
"  My  son  gives  you,  or  feeds  you  this."  But  it  was  of  such  an  offensive 
nature,  that  she  threw  it  immediately  out  after  her. 

After  this  the  young  man  paid  the  stranger  a  visit,  at  her  lodge  of  cedar 
boughs,  and  partook  of  her  dish  of  milk.  She  then  told  him  she  was  his 
real  mother,  and  that  he  had  been  stolen  away  from  her  by  the  detestable 
Toad-Woman,  who  was  a  witch.  He  was  not  quite  convinced.  She 
said  to  him,  "  Feign  yourself  sick,  when  you  go  home,  and  when  the 
Toad-Woman  asks  what  ails  you,  say  that  you  want  to  see  your  cradle  ; 
for  your  cradle  was  of  wampum,  and  your  faithful  brother,  the  dog,  bit  a 
piece  off  to  try  and  detain  you,  which  I  picked  up,  as  I  followed  in  your 
track.  They  were  real  wampum,  white  and  blue,  shining  and  beautiful." 
She  then  showed  him  the  pieces.  He  went  home  and  did  as  his  real 
mother  bid  him.  "  Mother,"  said  he,  "  why  am  I  so  different  in  my 
looks  from  the  rest  of  your  children  ?"  "  Oh,"  said  she,  "  it  was  a  very 
bright  clear  blue  sky  when  you  were  born  ;  that  is  the  reason."  When 
the  Toad- Woman  saw  he  was  ill,  she  asked  what  she  could  do  for  him. 
He  said  nothing  would  do  him  good,  but  the  sight  of  his  cradle.  She  ran 
immediately  and  got  a  cedar  cradle ;  but  he  said  "  That  is  not  my  cradle." 
She  went  and  got  one  of  her  own  children's  cradles,  (for  she  had  four,)  but 
he  turned  his  head  and  said,  "  That  is  not  mine."  She  then  produced  the 
real  cradle,  and  he  saw  it  was  the  same,  in  substance,  with  the  pieces  the 
other  had  shown  him  ;  and  he  was  convinced,  for  he  could  even  see  the 
marks  of  the  dog's  teeth  upon  it. 

He  soon  got  well,  and  went  out  hunting,  and  killed  a  fat  bear.  He  and 
his  dog-brother  then  stripped  a  tall  pine  of  all  its  branches,  and  stuck  the 
carcass  on  the  top,  taking  the  usual  sign  of  his  having  killed  an  animal — • 
the  tongue.  He  told  the  Toad- Woman  where  he  had  left  it,  saying,  "  It 
is  very  far,  even  to  the  end  of  the  earth."  She  answered,  "  It  is  not  so  far 
*  Sheegowiss,  a  widow,  and  motcigh,  something  nasty. 


MUKAKEE    MINDEMOEA.  103 

but  I  can  get  it,"  so  off  she  set.  As  soon  as  she  was  gone,  the  young  man 
and  his  dog  killed  the  Toad- Woman's  children,  and  staked  them  on  each 
side  of  the  door,  with  a  piece  of  fat  in  their  mouths,  and  then  went  to  his 
real  mother  and  hastened  her  departure  with  them.  The  Toad- Woman 
spent  a  long  time  in  finding  the  bear,  and  had  much  ado  in  climbing  the 
tree  to  get  down  the  carcass.  As  she  got  near  home,  she  saw  the  children 
looking  out,  apparently,  with  the  fat  in  their  mouths,  and  was  angry  at 
them,  saying,  "  Why  do  you  destroy  the  pomatum  of  your  brother."  But 
her  fury  was  great  indeed,  when  she  saw  they  were  killed  and  impaled. 
She  ran  after  the  fugitives  as  fast  as  she  could,  and  was  near  overtaking 
them,  when  the  young  man  said,  "  We  are  pressed  hard,  but  let  this  stay 
her  progress,"  throwing  his  fire  steel  behind  him,  which  caused  the  Toad- 
Woman  to  slip  and  fall  repeatedly.  But  still  she  pursued  and  gained  on 
them,  when  he  threw  behind  him  his  flint,  which  again  retarded  her,  for 
it  made  her  slip  and  stumble,  so  that  her  knees  were  bleeding ;  but  she 
continued  to  follow  on,  and  was  gaining  ground,  when  the  young  man 
said,  "  Let  the  Oshau  shaw  go  min  un  (snake  berry)  spring  up  to  detain 
her,"  and  immediately  these  berries  spread  like  scarlet  all  over  the  path 
for  a  long  distance,  which  she  could  not  avoid  stooping  down  to  pick  and 
eat.  Still  she  went  on,  and  was  again  advancing  on  them,  when  the 
young  man  at  last,  said  to  the  dog,  "  Brother,  chew  her  into  mummy,  for 
she  plagues  us."  So  the  dog,  turning  round,  seized  her  and  tore  her  to 
pieces,  and  they  escaped. 


Death  is  frightful,  or  welcome,  according  to  the  theories  men  have  of  it 
To  the  Indian,  it  is  a  pleasing  and  welcome  event.  He  believes  a  future 
state  to  be  one  of  rewards,  and  restitutions,  and  not  of  punishments. 

The  Indian  idea  of  paradise  is  the  idea  of  the  orientals.  It  consists  of 
sensualities,  not  spiritualities.  He  expects  the  scene  to  furnish  him  ease 
and  plenty.  Ease  and  plenty  make  the  Indian's  happiness  here,  and  his 
heaven  is  but  a  bright  transcript  of  his  earth. 

Paganism  and  idolatry,  require  more  mysteries  for  their  support  than 
Christianity.  The  Christian  has  but  one  God,  existing  in  three  hypostases. 
It  would  be  below  the  truth  to  say  that  the  Indian  has  one  hundred  thou 
sand  gods. 

The  Hindoos  worship  their  multiform  gods  of  the  earth,  air  and  sea. 
The  North  American  Indian  only  believes  in  them.  He  worships  the 
Great  Spirit. 

Wild  thoughts  are  often  bright  thoughts,  but  like  the  wild  leaps  of  a 
mountain  torrent,  they  are  evanescent  and  unequal.  We  are  dazzled 
by  a  single  figure  in  an  Indian  speech,  but  it  is  too  often  like  a  spark 
amid  a  shower  of  ashes. 


f 


THE  FLIGHT  OF  THE  SHAWNEES  FROM 
THE  SOUTH. 


A   MOHEGAN   TRADITION. 

METOXON  states,  that  the  Shawnees  were,  in  ancient  times,  while  they 
lived  in  the  south,  defeated  by  a  confederacy  of  surrounding-  tribes,  and  in 
danger  of  being  totally  cut  off  and  annihilated,  had  it  not  been  for  the  in 
terference  of  the  Mohegans  and  Delawares.  An  alliance  between  them 
and  the  Mohegans,  happened  in  this  way.  Whilst  the  Mohegans  lived 
at  Schodack,  on  the  Hudson  river,  a  young  warrior  of  that  tribe  visited 
the  Shawnees,  at  their  southern  residence,  and  formed  a  close  friendship 
with  a  young  warrior  of  his  own  age.  They  became  as  brothers,  and 
vowed  for  ever  to  treat  each  other  as  such. 

The  Mohegan  warrior  had  returned,  and  been  some  years  living  with 
his  nation,  on  the  banks  of  the  Chatimac,  or  Hudson,  when  a  general  war 
broke  out  against  the  Shawnees.  The  restless  and  warlike  disposition  of 
this  tribe,  kept  them  constantly  embroiled  with  their  neighbours.  They 
were  unfaithful  to  their  treaties,  and  this  was  the  cause  of  perpetual  troubles 
and  wars.  At  length  the  nations  of  the  south  resolved,  by  a  general  ef 
fort,  to  rid  themselves  of  so  troublesome  a  people,  and  began  a  war,  in 
which  the  Shawnees  were  defeated,  battle  after  battle,  with  great  loss.  In 
this  emergency,  the  Mohegan  thought  of  his  Shawnee  brother,  and  re 
solved  to  rescue  him.  He  raised  a  war-party  and  being  joined  by  the  Le- 
napees,  since  called  Delawares,  they  marched  to  their  relief,  and  brought 
off  the  remnant  of  the  tribe  to  the  country  of  the  Lenapees.  Here  they 
were  put  under  the  charge  of  the  latter,  as  their  grandfather. 

They  were  now,  in  the  Indian  phrase,  put  between  their  grandfather's 
knees,  and  treated  as  little  children.  Their  hands  were  clasped  and  tied 
together — that  is  to  say,  they  were  taken  under  their  protection,  and 
forned  a  close  alliance.  But  still,  sometimes  the  child  would  creep  out 

104 


FLIGHT    OP    THE    SHAWNEES.  105 

under  the  old  man's  legs,  and  get  into  trouble — implying  that  the  Shaw- 
nees  could  never  forget  their  warlike  propensities. 

The  events  of  the  subsequent  history  of  this  tribe,  after  the  settlement 
of  America  are  well  known.  With  the  Lenapees,  or  Dela wares,  they  mi 
grated  westward. 

The  above  tradition  was  received  from  the  respectable  and  venerable 
chief,  above  named,  in  1827,  during  the  negotiation  of  the--treaty  of  Buttes 
des  Marts,  on  Fox  river.  At  this  treaty  his  people,  bearing  the  modern 
name  of  Stockbridges,  were  present,  having,  within  a  few  years,  migrated 
from  their  former  position  in  Oneida  county,  New  York,  to  the  waters  of 
Fox  river,  in  Wisconsin. 

Metoxon  was  a  man  of  veracity,  and  of  reflective  and  temperate  habits, 
united  to  urbanity  of  manners,  and  estimable  qualities  of  head  and  heart, 
as  I  had  occasion  to  know  from  several  years'  acquaintance  with  him,  be 
fore  he,  and  his  people  went  from  Vernon  to  the  west,  as  well  as  after  he 
migrated  thither. 

The  tradition,  perhaps  with  the  natural  partiality  of  a  tribesman,  lays 
too  much  stress  upon  a  noble  and  generous  act  of  individual  and  triba, 
friendship,  but  is  not  inconsistant  with  other  relations,  of  the  early  south 
ern  position,  and  irrascible  temper  of  the  Shawnee  tribe.  Their  name  it 
self,  which  is  a  derivative  from  0-sha-wan-ong,  the  place  of  the  South,  is 
strong  presumptive  evidence  of  a  former  residence  in,  or  origin  from,  the 
extreme  south.  Mr.  John  Johnston,  who  was  for  many  years  the  govern 
ment  agent  of  this  tribe  at  Piqua,  in  Ohio,  traces  them,  in  an  article  in  the 
Archaslogia  Americana  (vol.  1,  p.  273)  to  the  Suwanee  river  in  Florida. 
Mr.  Gallatin,  in  the  second  volume  of  the  same  work  (p.  65)  points  out 
their  track,  from  historical  sources  of  undoubted  authority,  to  the  banks 
of  the  upper  Savannah,  in  Georgia;  but  remarks  that  they  have  only  been 
well  known  to  us  since  1680.  They  are  first  mentioned  in  our  scattered 
Indian  annals,  by  De  Laet,  in  1632. 

It  may  further  be  said,  in  relation  to  Metoxon's  tradition,  that  there  is 
authority  for  asserting,  that  in  the  flight  of  the  Shawnees  from  the  south, 
a  part  of  them  descended  the  Kentucky  river  west,  to  the  Ohio  valley, 
where,  in  after  times,  the  Shawnees  of  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey, 
rather  formed  a  re-union  with  this  division  of  their  kindred  than  led  the 
way  for  them. 


To  depart  one  step  from  barbarism,  is  to  take  one  step  towards  civiliza 
tion.  To  abandon  the  lodge  of  bark — to  throw  aside  the  blanket — to  dis 
continue  the  use  of  paints — or  to  neglect  the  nocturnal  orgies  of  the  wa- 
beno,  are  as  certain  indications  of  incipient  civilization,  as  it  unquestion 
ably  is,  to  substitute  alphabetical  characters  for  rude  hieroglyphics,  or  to 
prefer  the  regular  cadences  of  the  gamut,  to  the  wild  chanting  of  the  chi- 
chigwun. 


BOSH-KWA-DOSH, 

OR 

THE  QUADRUPED  WITH  THE  HAIR  BLOWN  OFF  ITS  SKIN. 

THERE  was  once  a  man  who  found  himself  alone  in  the  world.  He 
knew  not  whence  he  came,  nor  who  were  his  parents,  and  he  wandered 
about  from  place  to  place,  in  search  of  something.  At  last  he  became 
wearied  and  fell  asleep.  He  dreamed  that  he  heard  a  voice  saying, 
"  Nosis,"  that  is,  my  grandchild.  When  he  awoke  he  actually  heard 
the  word  repeated,  and  looking  around,  he  saw  a  tiny  little  animal 
hardly  big  enough  to  be  seen  on  the  plain.  While  doubting  whether  the 
voice  could  come  from  such  a  diminutive  source,  the  little  animal  said  to 
him,  "  My  grandson,  you  will  call  me  Bosh-k \va-dosh.  Why  are  you  so 
desolate.  Listen  to  me,  and  you  shall  find  friends  and  be  happy. 
You  must  take  me  up  and  bind  me  to  your  body,  and  never  put  me 
aside,  and  success  in  life  shall  attend  you."  He  obeyed  the  voice,  sewing 
up  the  little  animal  in  the  folds  of  a  string,  or  narrow  belt,  which  he  tied 
around  his  body,  at  his  navel.  He  then  set  out  in  search  of  some  one  like 
himself,  or  other  object.  He  walked  a  long  time  in  woods  without  seeing 
man  or  animal.  He  seemed  all  alone  in  the  world.  At  length  he  came 
to  a  place  where  a  stump  was  cut,  and  on  going  over  a  hill  he  descried  a 
large  town  in  a  plain.  A  wide  road  led  through  the  middle  of  it ;  but 
what  seemed  strange  was,  that  on  one  side  there  were  no  inhabitants  in 
the  lodges,  while  the  other  side  was  thickly  inhabited.  He  walked  boldly 
into  the  town. 

The  inhabitants  came  out  and  said  ;  "  Why  here  is  the  being  we  have 
heard  so  much  o£ — here  is  Anish-in-a-ba.  See  his  eyes,  and  his  teeth  in 
a  half  circle — see  the  Wyaukenawbedaid  !  See  his  bowels,  how  they  are 
formed ;" — for  it  seems  they  could  look  through  him.  The  king's  son,  the 
Mudjekewis,  was  particularly  kind  to  him,  and  calling  him  brother-in-law, 
commanded  that  he  should  be  taken  to  his  father's  lodge  and  received  with 
attention.  The  king  gave  him  one  of  his  daughters.  These  people, 
(who  are  supposed  to  be  human,  but  whose  rank  in  the  scale  of  being  is 
left  equivocal,)  passed  much  of  their  time  in  play  and  sports  and  trials  of 
various  kinds.  When  some  time  had  passed,  and  he  had  become  re- 

106 


BOSH-KWA-DOSH.  107 

freshed  and  rested,  he  was  invited  to  join  in  these  sports.  Tjie  first  test 
which  they  put  him  to,  was  the  trial  of  frost.  At  some  distance  was  a 
large  body  of  frozen  water,  and  the  trial  consisted  in  lying  down  naked 
on  the  ice,  and  seeing  who  could  endure  the  longest.  He  went  out  with 
two  young  men,  who  began,  by  pulling  off  their  garments,  and  lying 
down  on  their  faces.  He  did  likewise,  only  keeping  on  the  narrow  magic 
belt  with  the  tiny  little  animal  sewed  in  it ;  for  he  felt  that  in  this  alone  was 
to  be  his  reliance  and  preservation.  His  competitors  laughed  and  tittered 
during  the  early  part  of  the  night,  and  amused  themselves  by  thoughts  of 
his  fate.  Once  they  called  out  to  him,  but  he  made  no  reply.  He  felt  a 
manifest  warmth  given  out  by  his  belt.  About  midnight  finding  they  were 
still,  he  called  out  to  them,  in  return, — "  What!"  said  he,  "are  you  be 
numbed  already,  I  am  but  just  beginning  to  feel  a  little  cold."  All  was  si 
lence.  He,  however,  kept  his  position  till  early  day  break,  when  he  got 
up  and  went  to  them.  They  were  both  quite  dead,  and  frozen  so  hard, 
that  the  flesh  had  bursted  out  under  their  finger  nails,  and  their  teeth 
stood  out.  As  he  looked  more  closely,  what  was  his  surprise  to  find  them 
both  transformed  into  buffalo  cows.  He  tied  them  together,  and  carried 
them  towards  the  village.  As  he  came  in  sight,  those  who  had  wished 
his  death  were  disappointed,  but  the  Mudjekewis,  who  was  really  his 
friend,  rejoiced.  "  See !"  said  he  "  but  one  person  approaches, — it  is  my 
brother-in-law."  He  then  threw  down  the  carcasses  in  triumph,  but  it 
was  found  that  by  their  death  he  had  restored  two  inhabitants  to  the 
before  empty  lodges,  and  he  afterwards  perceived,  that  every  one  of  these 
beings,  whom  he  killed,  had  the  like  effect,  so  that  the  depopulated  part 
of  the  village  soon  became  filled  with  people. 

The  next  test  they  put  him  to.  was  the  trial  of  speed.  He  was  chal 
lenged  to  the  race  ground,  and  began  his  career  with  one  whom  he 
thought  to  be  a  man ;  but  every  thing  was  enchanted  here,  for  he  soon 
discovered  that  his  competitor  was  a  large  black  bear.  The  animal 
outran  him,  tore  up  the  ground,  and  sported  before  him,  and  put  out  its 
large  claws  as  if  to  frighten  him.  He  thought  of  his  little  guardian  spirit 
in  the  belt,  and  wishing  to  have  the  swiftness  of  the  Kakake,  i.  e. 
sparrow  hawk,  he  found  himself  rising  from  the  ground,  and  with 
the  speed  of  this  bird  he  outwent  his  rival,  and  won  the  race,  while 
the  bear  came  up  exhausted  and  lolling  out  his  tongue.  His  friend  the 
Mudjekewis  stood  ready,  with  his  war-club,  at  the  goal,  and  the 
moment  the  bear  came  up,  dispatched  him.  He  then  turned  to  the 
assembly,  who  had  wished  his  friend  and  brother's  death,  and  after  re 
proaching  them,  he  lifted  up  his  club  and  began  to  slay  them  on  every 
side.  They  fell  in  heaps  on  all  sides ;  but  it  was  plain  to  be  seen,  the 
moment  they  fell,  that  they  were  not  men,  but  animals, — foxes,  wolves, 
tigers,  lynxes,  and  other  kinds,  lay  thick  around  the  Mudjekewis. 

Still  the  villagers  were  not  satisfied.     They  thought  the  trial  of  frost, 


108  BOSH-KWA-DOSH. 

had  not  been  fairly  accomplished,  and  wished  it  repeated.  He  agreed  to 
repeat  it,  but  being  fatigued  with  the  race,  he  undid  his  guardian  belt,  and 
laying  it  under  his  head,  fell  asleep.  When  he  awoke,  he  felt  re 
freshed,  and  feeling  strong  in  his  own  strength,  he  went  forward  to 
renew  the  trial  on  the  ice,  but  quite  forgot  the  belt,  nor  did  it  at  all  occur 
to  him  when  he  awoke,  or  when  he  lay  down  to  repeat  the  trial. 
About  midnight  his  limbs  became  stiff,  the  blood  soon  ceased  to  circulate, 
and  he  was  found  in  the  morning,  a  stiff  corpse.  The  victors  took 
him  up  and  carried  him  to  the  village,  where  the  loudest  tumult  of  vic 
torious  joy  was  made,  and  they  cut  the  body  into  a  thousand  pieces,  that 
each  one  might  eat  a  piece. 

The  Mudjekewis  bemoaned  his  fate,  but  his  wife  was  inconsolable.  She 
lay  in  a  state  of  partial  distraction,  in  the  lodge.  As  she  lay  here,  she 
thought  she  heard  some  one  groaning.  It  was  repeated  through  the  night, 
and  in  the  morning,  she  carefully  scanned  the  place,  and  running  her  fingers 
through  the  grass,  she  discovered  the  secret  belt,  on  the  spot  where  her  hus 
band  had  last  reposed.  "  Aubishin !"  cried  the  belt — that  is,  untie  me,  or 
unloose  me.  Looking  carefully,  she  found  the  small  seam  which  enclosed 
the  tiny  little  animal.  It  cried  out  the  more  earnestly  "Aubishin!"  and 
when  she  had  carefully  ripped  the  seams,  she  beheld,  to  her  surprise,  a  mi 
nute,  naked  little  beast,  smaller  than  the  smallest  new  born  mouse,  without 
any  vestige  of  hair,  except  at  the  tip  of  its  tail,  it  could  crawl  a  few  inches, 
but  reposed  from  fatigue.  It  then  went  forward  again.  At  each  movement 
it  would  pupoweC)  that  is  to  say,  shake  itself,  like  a  dog,  and  at  each  shake  it 
became  larger.  This  it  continued  until  it  acquired  the  strength  and  size  of 
a  middle  sized  dog,  when  it  ran  off 

The  mysterious  dog  ran  to  the  lodges,  about  the  village,  looking  for  the 
bones  of  his  friend,  which  he  carried  to  a  secret  place,  and  as  fast  as  he 
found  them  arranged  all  in  their  natural  order.  At  length  he  had  formed  all 
the  skeleton  complete,  except  the  heel  bone  of  one  foot.  It  so  happened  that 
two  sisters  were  out  of  the  camp,  according  to  custom,  at  the  time  the  body 
was  cut  up,  and  this  heel  was  sent  out  to  them.  The  dog  hunted  every 
lodge,  and  being  satisfied  that  it  was  not  to  be  found  in  the  camp,  he  sought 
it  outside  of  it,  and  found  the  lodge  of  the  two  sisters.  The  younger  sister 
was  pleased  to  see  him,  and  admired  and  patted  the  pretty  dog,  but  the  elder 
sat  mumbling  the  very  heel-bone  he  was  seeking,  and  was  surly  and  sour, 
and  repelled  the  dog,  although  he  looked  most  wistfully  up  in  her  face, 
while  she  sucked  the  bone  from  one  side  of  her  mouth  to  the  other.  At  last 
she  held  it  in  such  a  manner  that  it  made  her  cheek  stick  out,  when  the  dog, 
by  a  quick  spring,  seized  the  cheek,  and  tore  cheek  and  bone  away  and 
fled. 

He  now  completed  the  skeleton,  and  placing  himself  before  it,  uttered  a 
hollow,  low,  long-drawn-out-howl,  when  the  bones  came  compactly  toge 
ther.  He  then  modulated  his  howl,  when  the  bones  knit  together  and 


BOSH-KWA-DOSH.  109 

became  tense.  The  third  howl  brought  sinews  upon  them,  and  the  fourth, 
flesh.  He  then  turned  his  head  upwards,  looking  into  the  sky,  and  gave 
a  howl,  which  caused  every  one  in  the  village  to  startle,  and  the  ground 
itself  to  tremble,  at  which  the  breath  entered  into  his  body,  and  he  first 
breathed  and  then  arose.  "  Hy  kow!"  I  have  overslept  myself,  he 
exclaimed,  "  I  will  be  too  late  for  the  trial."  "Trial !"  said  the  dog,  "  I  told 
you  never  to  let  me  be  separate  from  your  body,  you  have  neglected  this. 
You  were  defeated,  and  your  frozen  body  cut  into  a  thousand  pieces,  and 
scattered  over  the  village,  but  my  skill  has  -restored  you.  Nc  w  I  will  de 
clare  myself  to  you,  and  show  who  and  what  I  am  !" 

He  then  began  to  PUPOWEE,  or  shake  himself,  and  at  every  shake,  he 
grew.  His  body  became  heavy  and  massy,  his  legs  thick  and  long,  with 
big  clumsy  ends,  or  feet.  He  still  shook  himself,  and  rose  and  swelled. 
A  long  snout  grew  from  his  head,  and  two  great  shining  teeth  out  of  his 
mouth.  His  skin  remained  as  it  was,  naked,  and  only  a  tuft  of  hair 
grew  on  his  tail.  He  rose  up  above  the  trees.  He  was  enormous.  "  I 
should  fill  the  earth,"  said  he,  "  were  I  to  exert  my  utmost  power,  and  all 
there  is  on  the  earth  would  not  satisfy  me  to  eat.  Neither  could  it  fatten 
me  or  do  me  good.  I  should  want  more.  It  were  useless,  therefore,  and 
the  gift  I  have,  I  will  bestow  on  you.  The  animals  shall  henceforth  be 
your  food.  They  were  not  designed  to  feed  on  man,  neither  shall  they 
hereafter  do  it,  but  shall  feed  him,  and  he  only  shall  prey  on  beasts.  But 
you  will  respect  me,  and  not  eat  my  kind. 

[The  preceding  is  a  traditionary  tale  of  Maidosegee,  an  aged  and  respected  hunter, 
of  Sault-ste-Mairie,  who  was  the  ruling  chief  of  the  band  of  Chippewas  at  those  falls, 
and  the  progenitor  of  the  present  line  of  ruling  chiefs.  It  is  preserved  through  the 
Johnston  family,  where  he  was  a  frequent  guest,  prior  to  1810,  and  was  happy  to  while 
away  many  of  his  winter's  evenings,  in  return  for  the  ready  hospitalities  which  were 
sure  to  await  him  at  the  house  of  the  Indian's  friend.] 


MASH-KWA-SHA-KWONG, 

OR 

THE  TRADITIONARY  STORY  OF  THE  RED  HEAD  AND  HIS 
TWO  SONS. 

BY   NABINOI,    AN    AGED    ODJIBWA    CHIEF. 

MASH-KWA-SHA-KWONG,  was  a  first  rate  hunter,  and  he  loved  the  chase 
exceedingly,  and  pursued  it  with  unceasing  vigilance.  One  day,  on  his 
return  home,  arriving  at  his  lodge,  he  was  informed  by  his  two  sons,  who 
were  but  small  then,  that  they  were  very  lonesome,  because  their  mother 
was  in  the  habit  of  daily  leaving  them  alone,  and  this  occurred  so  soon  as 


110  MASH-KWA-SHA-KWONG. 

he  started  upon  his  daily  chase.  This  circumstance  was  not  unknown  to 
Mash-kwa-sha-kwong,  but  he  seemed  fully  aware  of  it ;  he  took  his  boys 
in  his  arms  and  kissed  them,  and  told  them  that  their  mother  behaved 
improperly  and  was  acting  the  part  of  a  wicked  and  faithless  woman. 
But  Mash-kwa-sha-kwong  behaved  towards  his  wife  as  if  ignorant  of  her 
vile  course.  One  morning  rising  very  early,  he  told  his  sons  to  take  cou 
rage,  and  that  they  must  not  be  lonesome,  he  also  strictly  enjoined  them 
not  to  absent  themselves  nor  quit  their  lodge ;  after  this  injunction  was 
given  to  the  boys,  he  made  preparations,  and  starting  much  earlier  than 
usual,  he  travelled  but  a  short  distance  from  his  lodge,  when  he  halted  arid 
secreted  himself.  After  waiting  a  short  time,  he  saw  his  wife  coming  out 
of  their  lodge,  and  immediately  after  a  man  made  his  appearance  and 
meeting  Mash-kwa-sha-kwong's  wife,  they  greeted  one  another.  His 
suspicions  were  now  confirmed,  and  when  he  saw  them  in  the  act  of  car 
rying  on  an  illegal  intercourse,  his  anger  arose,  he  went  up  to  them  and 
killed  them  with  one  blow  ;  he  then  dragged  them  both  to  his  lodge,  and 
tying  them  together,  he  dug  a  hole  beneath  the  fire-place  in  his  lodge  and 
buried  them.  He  then  told  his  sons  that  it  was  necessary  that  he  should 
go  away,  as  he  would  surely  be  killed  if  he  remained,  and  their  safety 
would  depend  upon  their  ability  of  keeping  the  matter  a  secret.  He  gave 
his  eldest  son  a  small  bird,  (Kichig-e-chig-aw-na-she)  to  roast  for  his  small 
brother  over  the  ashes  and  embers  where  their  mother  was  buried,  he  also 
provided  a  small  leather  bag,  and  then  told  his  sons  the  necessity  of  his  im 
mediate  flight  to  heaven,  or  to  the  skies.  And  that  it  would  be  expedient 
for  them  to  fly  and  journey  southward,  and  thus  prepared  their  minds  for 
the  separation  about  to  take  place.  "  By  and  bye,"  said  Mash-kwa-sha- 
kwong  to  his  sons,  "  persons  will  come  to  you  and  enquire  for  me  and  for 
your  mother,  you  will  say  to  them  that  I  am  gone  hunting,  and  your  little 
brother  in  the  mean  time  will  continually  point  to  the  fire  place,  this  will 
lead  the  persons  to  whom  I  allude,  to  make  inquiries  of  the  cause  of  this 
pointing,  and  you  will  tell  them  that  you  have  a  little  bird  roasting  for 
your  brother,  this  will  cause  them  to  desist  from  further  inquiry  at  the 
time.  As  soon  as  they  are  gone  escape!  While  you  are  journeying 
agreeably  to  my  instructions,  I  will  look  from  on  high  upon  you,  I  will 
lead  and  conduct  you,  and  you  shall  hear  my  voice  from  day  to  day." 
Mash-kwa-sha-kwong  at  this  time  gave  his  sons  an  awl,  a  beaver's  tooth, 
and  a  hone,  also  a  dry  coal,  and  directed  them  to  place  a  small  piece  of 
the  coal  on  the  ground  every  evening,  so  soon  as  they  should  encamp, 
from  which  fire  would  be  produced  and  given  to  them ;  he  told  his  eldest 
son  to  place  his  brother  in  the  leather  bag,  and  in  that  manner  carry  him 
upon  his  back  ;  he  then  bade  them  farewell. 

The  two  boys  being  thus  left  alone  in  the  lodge,  and  while  in  the  act 
of  roasting  the  little  bird  provided  for  them,  a  man  came  in,  and  then 
another,  and  another,  until  they  numbered  ten  in  all ;  the  youngest  boy 


MASH-KWA-SHA-KWONG.  Ill 

would  from  time  to  time  point  at  the  fire,  and  the  men  enquired  to  know 
the  reason,  the  eldest  boy  said  that  he  was  roasting  a  bird  for  his  brother, 
and  digging  the  ashes  produced  it.  They  enquired,  where  their 
father  and  mother  were,  the  boy  answered  them  saying,  that  their  father 
was  absent  hunting,  and  that  their  mother  had  gone  to  chop  and  collect 
wood  ;  upon  this  information  the  men  rose  and  searched  around  the  out- 
skiits  of  the  lodge,  endeavouring  to  find  traces  of  the  man  and  his  wife, 
but  they  were  not  successful,  and  returned  to  the  lodge.  Before  this,  how 
ever,  and  during  the  absence  of  the  ten  men,  Mash-kwa--sha-kwong's 
eldest  son  placed  his  little  brother  in  the  leather  bag,  (Ouskemood,)  and  ran 
away  southward. 

One  of  the  ten  men  observed,  that  the  smallest  boy  had  repeatedly 
pointed  to  the  fire  place,  and  that  they  might  find  out  something  by  dig 
ging  ;  they  set  to  work,  and  found  the  woman  and  the  man  tied  together. 
On  this  discovery  their  wrath  was  kindled,  they  brandished  their  weapons, 
denouncing  impercations  upon  Mash-kwa-sha-kwong,  who  was  of  course 
suspected  of  having  committed  the  deed. 

The  ten  men  again  renewed  their  search  in  order  to  avenge  themselves 
upon  the  perpetrator  of  this  dark  deed,  but  Mash-kwa-sha-kwong,  in  order 
to  avoid  instant  death,  had  sought  a  large  hollow  tree,  and  entering  at  the 
bottom  or  root  part,  passed  through  and  reached  the  top  of  it,  from  whence 
he  took  his  flight  upwards  to  the  sky.  His  pursuers  finally  traced  him, 
and  followed  him  as  far  as  the  tree,  and  into  the  sky,  with  loud  and  un 
ceasing  impercations  of  revenge  and  their  determination  to  kill  him.  The 
spirit  of  the  mother  alone  followed  her  children.  About  mid-day  the 
boys  heard,  as  they  ran,  a  noise  in  the  heavens  like  the  rolling  of  distant 
thunder.*  The  boys  continued  their  journey  south,  when  the  noise 
ceased  ;  towards  night  they  encamped ;  they  put  a  small  piece  of  the  coal 
on  the  ground,  then  a  log  of  fire-wood  was  dropped  down  from  the 
skies  to  them,  from  whence  a  good  blazing  fire  was  kindled.  This  was 
done  daily,  and  when  the  fire  was  lit,  a  raccoon  would  fall  from  on  high 
upon  the  fire,  and  in  this  manner  the  boys  were  fed,  and  this  over-ruling 
care  they  experienced  daily.  In  the  evenings  at  their  camping  place, 
and  sometimes  during  the  day,  the  Red  Head's  voice  was  heard  speaking 
to  his  children,  and  encouraging  them  to  use  their  utmost  exertions  to  fly 
from  the  pursuit  of  their  mother.  To  aid  them  in  escaping,  they  were 
told  to  throw  away  their  awl,  and  immediately  there  grew  a  strong  and 
almost  impassable  hedge  of  thorn  bushes  behind  them,  in  their  path,  which 
the  pursuing  mother  could  scarcely  penetrate,  and  thus  impeding  her  pro- 

*  Note  by  Mr.  George  Johnston,  from  whom  this  tale  was  received. — Any  thing  of 
the  kind,  or  a  similar  noise  heard,  is  attributed  by  the  Indian,  to  this  day,  as  an  indica 
tion  of  the  contention  between  Mash-kwa-sha-kwong  and  his  pursuers,  and  hence  a 
prelude  to  wars  and  contentions  among  the  nations  of  the  world. 


112  MASH-KWA-SHA-KWONG. 

gress,  tearing  away  her  whole  body  and  leaving  nothing  but  the  head 
So  they  escaped  the  first  day. 

The  next  day  they  resumed  their  march  and  could  distinctly  hear  the 
noise  of  combat  in  the  sky,  as  if  it  were  a  roaring  thunder ;  they  also 
heard  the  voice  of  their  mother  behind  them,  desiring  her  eldest  son  to 
stop  and  wait  for  her,  saying  that  she  wished  to  give  the  breast  to  his 
brother  ;  then  again  Mash-kwa-sha-kwong's  voice,  encouraging  his  sons  to 
fly  for  their  lives,  and  saying  that  if  their  mother  overtook  them  she  would 
surely  kill  them.  ' 

In  the  evening  of  the  second  day  the  boys  prepared  to  encamp,  and  the 
noise  of  combat  on  high  ceased ;  on  placing  a  small  piece  of  the  coal  on 
the  ground,  a  log  and  some  fire-wood  was  let  down  as  on  the  preceding 
night,  and  the  fire  was  kindled,  and  then  the  raccoon  placed  on  it  for 
their  food.  This  was  fulfilling  the  promise  made  by  their  father,  that  they 
would  be  provided  for  during  their  flight.  The  beaver's  tooth  was  here 
thrown  away,  and  this  is  the  cause  why  the  northern  country  now  abounds 
with  beaver,  and  also  the  innumerable  little  lakes  and  marshes,  and  con 
sequently  the  rugged  and  tedious  travelling  now  experienced. 

On  the  third  day  the  boys  resumed  their  flight,  and  threw  away  their 
hone,  and  it  became  a  high  rocky  mountainous  ridge,  the  same  now  seen 
on  the  north  shore  of  these  straits,  (St.  Mary's)  which  was  a  great  obstacle 
in  the  way  of  the  woman  of  the  Head,  for  this  was  now  her  name,  be 
cause  that  part  alone  remained  of  her  whole  frame,  and  with  it  she  was 
incessantly  uttering  determinations  to  kill  her  eldest  son  ;  the  boys  finally 
reached  the  fishing  place  known  as  the  eddy  of  Wah-zah-zhawing,  at  the 
rapids  of  Bawating,  situated  on  the  north  shore  of  the  river.  Here  Mash- 
kwa-sha-kwong,  told  his  sons  that  he  had  himself  been  overtaken  in  his 
flight  by  his  pursuers  and  killed,  and  he  appeared  to  them  in  the  shape  of 
a  red  headed  wood-pecker,  or  a  mama.  This  is  a  bird  that  is  seldom  or 
never  attacked  by  birds  of  prey,  for  no  vestiges  of  his  remains  are  ever  seen 
or  found  by  the  Indian  hunter.  "  Now  my  sons,"  said  the  red  headed 
wood-pecker,  "  I  have  brought  you  to  this  river,  you  will  now  see  your 
grand  father  and  he  will  convey  you  across  to  the  opposite  side."  Then 
the  boys  looked  to  the  southern  shore  of  the  river,  and  they  saw  in  the 
middle  of  the  rapid,  an  OSHUGGAY  standing  on  a  rock ;  to  the  Oshuggay 
the  boys  spoke,  and  accosted  him  as  their  grand  father,  requesting  him 
to  carry  them  across  the  river  Bawating.  The  Oshuggay  stretching  his 
long  neck  over  the  river  to  the  place  where  the  boys  stood,  told  them  to 
get  upon  his  head  and  neck,  and  again  stretching  to  the  southern  shore, 
he  landed  the  boys  in  safety,  upon  a  prairie :  the  crane  was  seen  walking 
in  state,  up  and  down  the  prairie. 

The  persevering  mother  soon  arrived  at  Wah-zah-hawing,  and  im 
mediately  requested  the  Oshuggay  to  cross  her  over,  that  she  was  in  pur- 


MASH-KWA-SHA-KWONG.  113 

suit  of  her  children  and  stating  that  she  wished  to  overtake  them  ;  but  the 
Oshuggay  seemed  well  aware  of  her  character,  and  objected  to  conveying 
her  across,  giving  her  to  understand  that  she  was  a  lewd  and  bad  wo 
man  ;  he  continued  giving  her  a  long  moral  lecture  upon  the  course  she 
had  pursued  and  the  bad  results  to  mankind  in  consequence,  such  as 
quarrels,  murders,  deaths,  and  hence  widowhood. 

The  woman  of  the  Head  persisted  in  her  request  of  being  conveyed 
Across.  Objections  and  entreaties  followed.  She  talked  as  if  she  were  still 
a  woman,  whose  favour  was  to  be  sought ;  and  he,  as  if  he  were  above 
such  favours.  After  this  dialogue  the  Oshuggay  said  that  he  would 
convey  her  across,  on  the  condition  that  she  would  adhere  strictly  to 
his  injunctions  ;  he  told  her  not  to  touch  the  bare  part  of  his  head,  but  to 
get  upon  the  hollow  or  crooked  part  of  his  neck  ;  to  this  she  agreed,  and 
got  on.  The  Oshuggay  then  withdrew  his  long  neck  to  about  half  way 
across,  when  feeling  that  she  had  forgotten  her  pledge  he  dashed  her  head 
upon  the  rocks,  and  the  small  fish,  that  were  so  abundant  instantly  fed 
upon  the  brain  and  fragments  of  the  skull  and  became  large  white  fish. 
"A  fish"  said  the  Oshuggay,  "that  from  this  time  forth  shall  be  abundant, 
and  remain  in  these  rapids  to  feed  the  Indians  and  their  issue,  from  genera 
tion  to  generation."* 

After  this  transaction  of  the  Oshuggay's,  landing  the  boys  safely  across, 
and  dashing  the  woman's  head  upon  the  rocks,  he  spake  to  the  Crane  and 
mutually  consulting  one  another  in  relation  to  Mash-kwa-sha-kwong's  sons 
they  agreed  to  invite  two  women  from  the  eastward,  of  the  tribe  of  the  WAS- 
SISSIG,  and  the  two  lads  took  them  for  wives.  The  Oshuggay  plucked  one 
of  his  largest  wing  feathers  and  gave  it  to  the  eldest  boy,  and  the  Crane 
likewise  did  the  same,  giving  his  feathers  to  the  youngest  ;  they  were  told 
to  consider  the  feathers  as  their  sons  after  this,  one  feather  appeared  like 
an  Oshuggay  and  the  other  like  a  young  Crane.  By  and  by  they  appeared 
like  human  beings  to  the  lads.  Thus  the  alliance  was  formed  with  the  Was- 
sissig,  and  the  circumstance  of  the  Oshuggay  and  Crane  interesting  them 
selves  in  behalf  of  the  boys  and  the  gift  to  them  of  their  feathers  and  the 
result,  is  the  origin  of  the  Indian  Totem. 

Here  Mash-kwa-sha-kwong's  sons  were  told  that  they  would  be  con 
sidered  as  chieftains  and  that  this  office  would  be  hereditary  and  continue 
in  their  generations.  Alter  this,  they  multiplied  exceedingly  and  became 
strong  and  powerful.  About  this  time  the  Obi  nan  goes,  (or  the  Bears' 
Totem)  came  down  from  Shaugah-wah-mickong,  near  the  extremity  of 
Lake  Superior.  On  their  way  eastward  they  were  surprised  on  reaching 
Bawating  to  find  such  a  numerous  population  of  human  beings  :  they  were 

*  The  small  white  shells  that  the  white  fish  live  upon,  and  the  white  substance  found 
in  its  gizzard  are  to  this  day  considered  by  the  Indians,  the  brain  and  skull  of  the  woman 
of  the  Head. 

8 


14  MASH-KWA-SHA-KWONG. 

not  aware  of  its  oeing  in  existence  ;  fear  came  upon  the  Obinangoes,  and 
they  devised  the  plan  of  securing  friendship  with  the  Oshuggays  and 
Cranes,  by  adopting  and  claiming  a  relationship  with  them,  and  calling 
them  their  grandsons.  This  claim  was  yielded,  and  they  were  permitted  to 
remain  at  Bawaiting  upon  the  score  of  relationship  thus  happily  attained. 
The  Obenangoes  eventually  emigrated  eastward  and  settled  upon  the 
northern  coast  of  Lakes  Huron  and  Ontario. 

Population  increased  so  rapidly  at  Bawaiting,  that  it  was  necessary  to 
form  new  villages,  some  settling  on  the  Garden  River,  some  upon  the 
Pakaysaugauegan  River,  and  others  upon  the  island  of  St.  Joseph's,  and 
upon  the  Menashkong  Bay  and  Mashkotay  Saugie  River. 

About  this  time,  a  person  in  the  shape  of  a  human  being  came  down 
from  the  sky ;  his  clothing  was  exceedingly  pure  and  white ;  he  was  seated 
as  it  were  in  a  nest,  with  a  very  fine  cord  attached  to  it,  by  which  this 
mysterious  person  was  let  down,  and  the  cord  or  string  reached  heaven. 
He  addressed  the  Indians  in  a  very  humane,  mild,  and  compasionate  tone, 
saying  that  they  were  very  poor  and  needy,  but  telling  them  that  they 
were  perpetually  asleep,  and  this  was  caused  by  the  Mache  Monedo  who 
was  in  the  midst  of  them,  and  leading  them  to  death  and  ruin. 

This  mysterious  personage  informed  them  also  that  above,  where  he 
came  from,  there  was  no  night,  that  the  inhabitants  never  slept,  that  it  was 
perpetually  day  and  they  required  no  sleep  ;  that  Kezha  Monedo  was  their 
light.  He  then  invited  four  of  the  Indians  to  ascend  up  with  him  promis 
ing  that  they  would  be  brought  back  in  safety ;  that  an  opportunity  would 
thereby  present  itself  to  view  the  beauty  of  the  sky,  or  heavens.  But  the 
Indians  doubted  and  feared  lest  the  cord  should  break,  because  it  appeared 
to  them  so  small.  They  did  not  believe  it  possible  it  could  bear  their 
weight.  With  this  objection  they  excused  themselves.  They  were,  however, 
again  assured  that  ths  cord  was  sufficiently  strong  and  that  Kezha  Monedo 
had  the  power  to  make  it  so.  Yet  the  Indians  doubted  and  feared,  and 
did  not  accompany  the  messenger  sent  down  to  them.  After  this  re 
fusal  the  mysterious  person  produced  a  small  bow  and  arrows  with  which 
he  shot  at  the  Indians  in  different  parts  of  their  bodies :  the  result  was, 
frhe  killing  of  multitudes  of  small  white  worms,  which  he  showed  to  them ; 
telling  them  that  they  were  the  Mache  Monedo  which  caused  them  to 
sleep,  and  prevented  their  awakening  from  their  death-like  state. 

This  divine  messenger  then  gave  to  the  Indians  laws  and  rules,  where 
by  they  should  be  guided:  first,  to  love  and  fear  Kezha  Monedo,  arid  next 
that  they  must  love  one  another,  and  be  charitable  and  hospitable  ;  and 
finally,  that  they  must  not  covet  their  neighbours  property,  but  acquire  it 
by  labour  and  honest  industry.  He  then  instituted  the  grand  medicine  or 
metay  we  win  dance :  this  ceremony  was  to  be  observed  annually,  and 
with  due  solemnity,  and  the  Indians,  said  Nabinoi,  experienced  much  good 
from  it ;  but  unfortunately,  the  foolish  young  men  were  cheated  by  Mache 


MASH-KWA-SHA.KWONG.  115 

Monedo,  who  caused  them  to  adopt  the  Wabano  dance  and  its  ceremonies. 
This  latter  is  decidedly  an  institution  of  the  sagemaus,  or  evil  spirits, 
and  this  was  finally  introduced  into  the  metay  we  wining,  (i.  e.  medicine 
dance)  and  thereby  corrupted  it. 

The  old  chief  continued  his  moral  strain  thus:  While  the  Indians*  were 
instructed  by  the  heavenly  messenger  they  were  told  that  it  would  snow 
continually  for  the  space  of  five  years,  winter  and  summer,  and  the  end 
would  then  be  nigh  at  hand  ;  and  again  that  it  would  rain  incessantly  as 
many  winters  and  summers  more,  which  would  cause  the  waters  to  rise  and 
overflow  the  earth,  destroying  trees  and  all  manner  of  vegetation.  After 
this,  ten  winters  and  summers  of  drought  would  follow,  drying  up  the 
land,  and  mostly  the  lakes  and  rivers  ;  not  a  cloud  would  be  seen  during 
this  period.  The  earth  would  become  so  dry,  that  it  will  then  burn  up  with 
fire  of  itself,  and  it  will  also  burn  the  waters  to  a  certain  depth,  until  it  at 
tains  the  first  created  earth  and  waters.  Then  the  good  Indians  will  rise 
from  death  to  enjoy  a  new  earth,  filled  with  an  abundance  of  all  manner 
of  living  creatures.  The  only  animal  which  will  not  be  seen  is  the  beaver 
The  bad  Indians  will  not  enjoy  any  portion  of  the  new  earth  ;  they  will  be 
condemned  and  given  to  the  evil  spirits. 

Four  generations,  he  went  on  to  say,  have  now  passed  away,  since  that 
brotherly  love  and  charity,  formerly  known,  still  existed  among  the  In 
dians.  There  was  in  those  ancient  times  an  annual  meeting  among  the  In 
dians,  resembling  the  French  New  Year's  Day,  which  was  generally  ob 
served  on  the  new  moon's  first  appearance,  Gitchy  Monedo  gesus.  The 
Indians  of  our  village  would  visit  these  of  another,  and  sometimes  meet 
one  another  dancing;  and  on  those  occasions  they  would  exchange  bows 
and  arrows,  their  rude  axes,  awls,  and  kettles,  and  their  clothing.  This 
was  an  annual  festival,  which  was  duly  observed  by  them.  In  those 
days  the  Indians  lived  happy ;  but  every  thing  is  now  changed  to  the  In 
dian  mind,  indicating  the  drawing  near  and  approach  of  the  end  of  time. 
The  Indians  who  still  adhere  to  the  laws  of  the  heavenly  messenger  ex 
perience  happiness ;  and,  on  the  contrary,  concluded  the  old  man,  those 
who  are  wicked  and  adhere  to  the  Wabano  institution,  generally  meet 
with  their  reward;  and  it  is  singular  to  say  that  they  generally  come 
to  their  end  by  accidents,  such  as  drowning,  or  miserable  deaths. 

He  then  reverted  to  the  former  part  of  his  story.  The  Oshuggays,  and 
the  Cranes  quarrelled,  and  this  quarrel  commenced  on  a  trivial  point.  It 
appears  that  the  Cranes  took  a  pole,  without  leave,  from  the  Oshuggays. 
and  they  broke  the  pole ;  this  circumstance  led  to  a  separation.  The 
Oshuggays  emigiuted  south,  and  are  now  known  as  the  Shawnees. 


WA-WA-BE-ZO-WIN, 


THE  SWING  ON  THE  LAKE  SHORE. 

TROM    THE    TRADITIONS    OF   THE    ODJIBWAS. 

THERE  was  an  old  hag  of  a  woman  living  with  her  daughter-in-law 
and  son,  and  a  little  orphan  boy,  whom  she  was  bringing  up.  When 
her  son-in-law  came  home  from  hunting,  it  was  his  custom  to  bring 
his  wife  the  moose's  lip,  the  kidney  of  the  bear,  or  some  other  choice 
bits  of  different  animals.  These  she  would  cook  crisp,  so  as  to  make  a 
sound  with  her  teeth  in  eating  them.  This  kind  attention  of  the  hunter 
to  his  wife,  at  last,  excited  the  envy  of  the  old  woman.  She  wished 
to  have  the  same  luxuries,  and  in  order  to  get  them  she  finally  resolved  to 
make  way  with  her  son's  wife.  One  day,  she  asked  her  to  leave  her  in 
fant  son  to  the  care  of  the  orphan  boy,  and  come  out  and  swing  with 
her.  She  took  her  to  the  shore  of  a  lake,  where  there  was  a  high  range 
of  rocks  overhanging  the  water.  Upon  the  top  of  this  rock,  she  erected 
a  swing.  She  then  undressed,  and  fastened  a  piece  of  leather  around  her 
body,  and  commenced  swinging,  going  over  the  precipice  at  every  swing. 
She  continued  it  but  a  short  time,  when  she  told  her  daughter  to  do  the 
same.  The  daughter  obeyed.  She  undressed,  and  tying  the  leather 
string  as  she  was  directed,  began  swinging.  When  the  swing  had  got 
in  full  motion  and  well  a  going,  so  that  it  went  clear  beyond  the  precipice, 
at  every  sweep,  the  old  woman  slyly  cut  the  cords  and  let  her  daughter 
drop  into  the  lake.  She  then  put  on  her  daughter's  clothing,  and  thus  dis 
guised  went  home  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening  and  counterfeited  her  ap 
pearance  and  duties.  She  found  the  child  crying,  and  gave  it  the  breast, 
but  it  would  not  draw.  The  orphan  boy  asked  her  where  its  mother  was. 
She  answered,  "  She  is  still  swinging."  He  said,  "  I  shall  go  and  look 
for  her."  "No!"  said  she,  "you  must  not — what  should  you  go  for?" 
When  the  husband  came  in,  in  the  evening,  he  gave  the  coveted  morsel 
to  his  supposed  wife.  He  missed  his  mother-in-law,  but  said  nothing. 
She  eagerly  ate  the  dainty,  and  tried  to  keep  the  child  still.  The  hus 
band  looked  rather  astonished  to  see  his  wife  studiously  averting  her  face, 
and  asked  her  why  the  child  cried  so.  She  said,  she  did  not  know — that 
it  would  not  draw. 

In  the  meantime  the  orphan  boy  went  to  the  lake  shores,  and  found  no 
one.  He  mentioned  his  suspicions,  and  while  the  old  woman  was  out 
getting  wood,  he  told  him  all  that  he  had  heard  or  seen.  The  man  then 

116 


,  WA-WA-BE-ZO-WIN.  117 

painted  his  face  black,  and  placed  his  spear  upside  down  in  the  'earth  and 
requested  the  Great  Spirit  to  send  lightning,  thunder,  and  rain,  in  the 
hope  that  the  body  of  his  wife  might  arise  from  the  water.  He  then 
began  to  fast,  and  told  the  boy  to  take  the  child  and  play  on  the  lake 
shore. 

We  must  r|3w  go  back  to  the  swing.  After  the  wife  had  plunged  into 
she  lake,  she  found  herself  taken  hold  of  by  a  water  tiger,  whose  tail 
twisted  itself  round  her  body,  and  drew  her,  to  the  bottom.  There  she 
found  a  fine  lodge,  and  all  things  ready  for  her  reception,  and  she  became 
"he  wife  of  the  water  tiger.  Whilst  the  children  were  playing  along  the 
shore,  and  the  boy  was  casting  pebbles  into  the  lake,  he  saw  a  gull  com 
ing  from  its  centre,  and  flying  towards  the  shore,  and  when  on  shore,  the 
bird  immediately  assumed  the  human  shape.  When  he  looked  again  he 
recognized  the  lost  mother.  She  had  a  leather  belt  around  her  loins,  and 
another  belt  of  white  metal,  which  was.  in  reality,  the  tail  of  the  water 
tiger,  her  husband.  She  suckled  the  babe,  and  said  to  the  boy — "  Come 
here  with  him,  whenever  he  cries,  and  I  will  nurse  him." 

The  boy  carried  the  child  home,  and  told  these  things  to  the  father. 
When  the  child  again  cried,  the  father  went  also  with  the  boy  to  the 
lake  shore,  and  hid  himself  in  a  clump  of  trees.  Soon  the  appearance 
of  a  gull  was  seen,  with  a  long  shining  belt,  or  chain,  and  as  soon  as  it 
came  to  the  shore,  it  assumed  the  mother's  shape,  and  began  to  suckle  the 
child.  The  husband  had  brought  along  his  spear,  and  seeing  the  shining 
chain,  he  boldly  struck  it  and  broke  the  links  apart.  He  then  took  his 
wife  and  child  home,  with  the  orphan  boy.  When  they  entered  the 
lodge,  the  old  woman  looked  up,  but  it  was  a  look  of  despair,  she  instantly 
dropped  her  head.  A  rustling  was  heard  in  the  lodge,  and  the  next  mo 
ment,  she  leaped  up,  and  flew  out  of  the  lodge,  and  was  never  heard  of 
more. 


The  name  of  God,  among  the  ancient  Mexicans,  was  Teo,  a  word  sel 
dom  found,  except  in  compound  phrases.  Among  the  Mohawks  and 
Onondagas,  it  is  Neo.  With  the  western  Senecas,  as  given  by  Smith, 
Owayneo.  With  the  Odjibwas,  Monedo ;  with  the  Otto  was,  Maneto. 
Many  modifications  of  the  word  by  prefixes,  to  its  radix  Edo,  appear 
among  the  cognate  dialects  It  is  remarkable  that  there  is  so  striking  a 
similarity  in  the  principal  syllable,  and  it  is  curious  to  observe  that  Edo7 
is.  in  sound,  both  the  Greek  term  Deo,  and  the  Azteek  Teo,  transposed. 
Is  there  any  thing  absolutely  fixed  in  the  sounds  of  languages? 


TAKOZIJ), 


THE    SHORT-FOOT. 


A    BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH. 


MOST  of  the  individuals  who  have  figured  amongst  the  Red  Race  in 
America,  have  appeared  under  circumstances  which  have  precluded  any 
thing  like  a  full  and  consistent  biography.  There  is,  in  truth,  but  little  in 
savage  life,  to  furnish  materials  for  such  biographies.  The  very  scanti 
ness  of  events  determines  this.  A  man  suddenly  appears  among  these 
tribes  as  a  warrior,  a  negociator,  an  orator,  or  a  prophet,  by  a  name  that 
nobody  ever  before  heard  of.  He  excites  attention  for  a  short  time,  and 
then  sinks  back  into  the  mass  of  Indian  society,  and  is  no  more  heard  of. 
His  courage,  his  eloquence,  or  his  diplomatic  skill,  are  regarded  as  evi 
dences  of  talent,  and  energy  of  thought  or  action,  which,  under  better  au 
spices,  might  have  produced  a  shining  and  consistent  character.  But  he 
has  been  left  by  events,  and  is  sunk  in  the  mass.  He  appeared  rather  like 
an  erratic  body,  or  flash,  than  a  fixed  light  amid  his  people.  The  circum 
stances  that  brought  him  into  notice  have  passed  away.  A  victory  has 
been  won,  a  speeeu  made,  a  noble  example  given.  The  affair  has  been 
adjusted,  the  tribe  resumed  its  hunting,  or  corn-planting,  or  wandering, 
or  internal  discords,  and  the  new  name,  which  promised  for  a  while  to  raise 
a  Tamerlane,  or  Tippoo  Saib  in  the  west,  settles  down  in  the  popular 
mind ;  and  if  it  be  not  wholly  lost,  is  only  heard  of  now  and  then,  as  one 
of  the  signatures  to  some  land  treaty.  There  is  not,  in  fact,  sufficient,  in 
the  population,  military  strength,  or  importance  of  the  affairs  of  most  of 
our  tribes,  to  work  out  incidents  for  a  sustained  and  full  biography.  Even 
the  most  considerable  personages  of  past  times,  who  have  been  honoured 
with  such  full  notices,  have  too  much  resemblance  to  a  stout  boy  in  his 
father's  regimentals.  They  hang  loosely  about  him.  The  most  that  can 
be  done — all  indeed  which  the  occasion  requires  in  general — is  a 
sketch  of  such  particular  events,  in  aboriginal  history,  as  the  individual 
has  connected  his  name  with.  It  is  proposed  in  the  progress  of  this  worl 
to  furnish  some  of  such  sketches  from  the  unwritten  annals  of  the  west 
and  the  north. 

Among  that  class  of  aboriginal  chiefs  and  actors,  who  have  not  risen  t( 
the  highest  distinction,  or  attained  general  notoriety  out  of  the  circle  of 
their  own  tribes,  was  Takozid,  or  the  Short-Foot ;  a  Mukundwa,  or  pil 
lager  ;  a  fierce,  warlike,  and  predatory  tribe  of  the  Odjibwa  Algonquin 

118 


TAKOZID,    OR    THE    SHORT-FOOT.  119 

stock,  who,  at  an  early  time  seated  themselves  on  the  sources  of  the  Mis 
sissippi,  making  their  head  quarters  at  Leech  Lake.  To  this  place,  their 
traditions  assert,  they  came  from  Chagoimegon,  or  still  farther  east,  prior 
to  the  discovery  of  the  country  hy  Europeans.  They  were  consequently 
intruders  in,  or  conquerors  of  the  country,  and  drove  back  some  other 
people.  It  seems  equally  probable  that  this  people  were  the  Dacotahs,  the 
Naddowassies,  or  as  it  is  abbreviated,  Sioux,  of  early  French  writers.  The 
Sioux  are  a  numerous  and  warlike  stock,  who  occupy  portions  of  the  banks  of 
the  Missouri  and  the  Mississippi,  at,  and  about  the  latitude  of  St.  Anthony's 
Falls.  A  hereditary  war  of  which  "  the  memory  of  man  runneth  not  to 
the  contrary,"  was  the  consequence  of  this  ancient  inroad.  Of  all  this 
region  of  country  we  can  speak  from  personal  knowledge,  having  tra 
versed  it  at  sundry  times,  and  in  various  directions.  It  is  in  local  remi 
niscence,  little  more  than  a  widely  extended  scene  of  Indian  battles,  ambus 
cades  and  murders.  There  is  hardly  a  prominent  stream,  plain  or  forest, 
which  is  not  referred  to,  as  the  traveller  proceeds,  as  the  particular  locality 
of  some  fight,  tragedy,  or  hair-breath  escape  among  the  Red  Men.  The 
Olympic  games  were  not  a  surer  test  of  fame  in  successful  rivalry,  than  is 
this  wide  area  of  aboriginal  warfare,  for  the  opposing  nations  of  the  Sioux 
and  Chippewas.  War  is  the  prime  avenue  to  distinction  to  the  Indian 
mind.  As  soon  as  a  hunter  has  acquired  any  distinction,  and  begins  to 
look  upon  himself  as  a  person  of  courage  and  address,  he  turns  his  efforts 
to  the  war  path.  Whatever  else  he  is  famous  for,  this  is  the  crowning 
test  and  seal  of  his  reputation.  And  none  have  pursued  it  with  more  in 
cessant  devotion  than  the  Chippewas. 

Takozid  determined  from  his  earliest  youth  to  take  a  part  in  the  strife 
for  barbaric  glory.  He  early  joined  the  war  parties  going  into  the  great 
plains.  He  learned  their  arts,  repeated  their  songs,  and  became  expert  in 
all  the  warrior's  arts.  He  established  the  reputation  of  a  brave  young 
man.  The  next  step  was  to  lead  a  war  party  himself.  He  courted  popu 
larity  by  generosity,  self  denial,  and  attention  to  their  religious  rites  and 
ceremonies.  These  things  may  be  done  on  a  smaller  scale,  as  effectually 
among  a  band  of  savages,  as  in  the  hall  or  forum.  He  succeeded.  He 
raised  a  war  party,  conducf  .1  into  the  plains,  discovered  his  enemies, 
approached  them  slily,  lell  upon  them,  defeated  them,  and  returned  in  tri 
umph  with  their  scalps  to  his  village.  His  deep  and  hollow  CHE  KWAN 
DUM,  or  death-cry  of  victory  as  he  came  to  the  eminence  which  overlooked 
his  village,  announced  all  this  before  he  set  foot  in  his  village :  and  the 
number  of  his  scalps. 

These  exploits  placed  him  on  the  pinnacle  of  fame.  It  is  a  curious  fact, 
in  the  lives  of  our  Red  men,  to  observe  that  war  is  a  stimulus  to  poligamy. 
One  of  the  first  things  he  thought  of,  as  a  proper  reward  for  his  bravery, 
was  to  take  another  wife.  In  this,  his  friends  and  partizans  concurred, 
although  he  had  no  cause  of  dissatisfaction  with  his  first  wife,  to  whom  he 


120  TAKOZID,    OR   THE    SHORT-FOOT. 

had  been  married  but  a  short  time,  and  who  had  borne  him  a  son.  Time 
added  confirmation  to  this  plan.  It  was  talked  of,  and  even  debated  by  the 
chiefs.  It  was  conceded  to  be  due  to  his  bravery.  All,  indeed,  appeared 
to  approve  of  it,  but  his  wife.  She  heard  of  the  rumor  with  alarm,  and 
received  the  account  of  its  confirmation,  with  pain.  It  could  no  longer  be 
doubted,  for  the  individual  who  was  to  share,  nay,  control  the  lodge 
with  her  was  named,  and  the  consent  of  her  parents  had  been  obtained. 

Monon,  or  the  Little-Iron-Wood-Tree,  as  she  was  called,  was  a  female 
of  no  ordinary  firmness  of  character.  She  was  ardently  attached  to  her 
husband,  not  the  less  so  for  his  rising  fame,  jealous  of  her  rights,  and 
prompted  by  strong  feelings  to  maintain  them.  In  all  these  points  she 
was  above  the  generality  of  her  country  women.  Like  others,  however, 
in  a  community  where  poligamy  was  common,  she  might  have  submitted 
at  length,  to  her  fate,  had  not  her  rival  in  the  affections  of  Takozid,  ap 
pealed  to  a  deeper  seated  principle,  and  waked  up,  in  the  breast  of  the  in 
jured  wife,  the  feeling  of  revenge :  a  principle  reckless  enough,  in  com 
munities  where  there  are  the  safeguards  of  education  and  Christianity 
to  restrain  and  regulate  it ;  but  horrible  in  wild  and  roving  bands  of  bar 
barians.  Monon's  fidelity  was  slandered.  She  was  a  pure  and  high 
minded  woman,  and  the  imputation  goaded  her  to  the  quick. 

When  this  slander  first  reached  her  ears,  through  the  ordinary  chan 
nel  of  village  gossip,  a  chord  was  struck,  which  vibrated  through  every 
throe,  and  steeled  her  heart  for  some  extraordinary  act ;  although  none 
could  anticipate  the  sanguinary  deed  which  marked  the  nuptial  night. 
An  Indian  marriage  is  often  a  matter  of  little  ceremony.  It  was  not  so, 
on  this  occasion.  To  render  the  events  imposing,  many  had  been  invited. 
The  bride  was  dressed  in  her  best  apparel.  Her  father  was  present. 
Many  young  and  old,  males  and  females  were  either  present  or  thronged 
around  the  lodge.  The  broad  clear  blue  waters  of  the  lake,  studded  with 
green  islands,  spread  before  the  door.  A  wide  grassy  lawn,  which  was 
the  village  ball  and  play  ground,  extended  down  to  its  margin.  It  was 
a  public  event.  A  throng  had  gathered  around.  Takozid  was  to  be 
married.  He  was  to  take  a  second  wife,  in  the  daughter  of  Obegwud. 
Takozid  himself  was  there.  Hilarity  reigned  within  and  without.  All 
indeed,  were  there,  but  the  dejected  and  deserted  Monon,  who  had  been 
left  with  her  child,  at  the  chieftain's  own  lodge. 

But  a  spirit  had  been  aroused  in  her  breast,  which  would  not  permit 
her  to  remain  absent.  She.  crossed  the  green  silently,  stealthily.  She 
stood  gazing  awhile  at  the  lake.  She  approached  the  bridal  lodge.  She 
passed  easily  among  the  group.  She  entered  the  lodge.  Nor  had  any 
one,  at  that  moment,  a  thought  of  suspicion  or  alarm.  The  bride  was 
seated  on  her  envied  abbinos  ;  her  affianced  husband  was  at  her  side. 

All  at  once,  there  arose  a  shrill  cry,  in  the  Chippewa  tongue.  "  This, 
vociferated  the  enraged  Monon,  This  for  the  bastard!"  and  at  each  repeti 


TAKOZID,    OR    THE    SHORT-FOOT.  121 

lion  of  the  words,  she  raised  an  Indian  poignard,  in  her  hand.  The  sud 
denness  of  her  movement  had  paralyzed  every  attempt  to  arrest  her. 
Amazement  »at  in  every  face.  She  had  plunged  a  pointed  knife  into  the 
oreast  of  her  rival. 

There  is  little  to  be  added  to  such  a  catastrophe.  Its  very  suddenness 
and  atrocity  appalled  every  one.  Nobody  arrested  her,  and  nobody  pur 
sued  her.  She  returned  as  she  came,  and  re-entered  her  lodge.  Her 
victim  never  spoke. 

From  this  moment  the  fame  of  Takozid  declined.  The  event  appeared 
to  have  unmanned  him.  He  went  no  more  to  war.  His  martial  spirits 
appeared  to  have  left  him.  He  sank  back  into  the  mass  of  Indian  society, 
and  was  scarcely  ever  mentioned.  Nor  should  we,  indeed,  have  recalled 
his  name  from  its  obscurity,  were  it  not  associated  in  the  Indian  reminis 
cences  of  Leach  lake,  with  this  sanguinary  deed. 

I  had  this  relation  a  few  years  ago,  from  a  trader,  who  had  lived  at 
Leech  lake,  who  personally  knew  the  parties,  and  whose  veracity  I 
had  no  reason  at  all,  to  call  into  question.  It  is  one  of  the  elements  that 
go  into  the  sum  of  my  personal  observations,  on  savage  life,  and  as  such  1 
cast  it  among  these  papers.  To  judge  of  the  Red  race  aright,  we  must 
view  it,  in  all  its  phases,  and  if  we  would  perform  our  duty  towards  them, 
as  Christians  and  men,  we  should  gather  our  data  from  small,  as  well  as 
great  events,  and  from  afar  as  well  as  near.  When  all  has  been  done,  in 
the  way  of  such  collections  and  researches,  it  will  be  found,  we  think, 
that  their  errors  and  crimes,  whatever  they  are,  assume  no  deeper  dye 
than  philanthropy  has  had  reason  to  apprehend  them  to  take,  without  a 
knowledge  of  the  principles  of  the  gospel.  Thou  shalt  not  kill,  is  a  law, 
yet  to  be  enforced,  among  more  than  two  hundred  thousand  souls,  who 
bear  the  impress  of  a  red  skin,  within  the  acknowledged  limits  of  the 
American  Union. 


MACHINITO,    THE    EYIL    SPIRIT; 

FROM   THE    LEGENDS   OF   IAGOU. 

BY  MRS.  E.  OAKES  SMITH. 

"  The  Pagan  world  not  only  believes  in  a  myriad  of  gods,  but  worships  them  also 
It  is  the  peculiarity  of  the  North  American  Indian,  that  while  he  believes  in  as  many, 
he  worships  but  one,  the  Great  Spirit." — (Schooler aft.} 

CHEMANITOU,  being  the  master  of  life,  at  one  time  became  the  origin  of 
a  spirit,  that  has  ever  since  caused  himself  and  all  others  of  his  creation 


122  INDIAN    MYTHOLOGY. 

a  great  deal  of  disquiet.  His  birth  was  owing  to  an  accident  It  was  in 
this  wise. 

METOWAC,  or  as  the  white  people  now  call  it.  Long  Island,  was  origi 
nally  a  vast  plain,  so  level  and  free  from  any  kind  of  growth,  that  it  looked 
like  a  portion  of  the  great  sea  that  had  suddenly  been  made  to  move  back 
and  let  the  sand  below  appear,  which  was  the  case  in  fact. 

Here  it  was  that  Chemanitou  used  to  come  and  sit,  when  he  wished  to 
bring  any  new  creation  to  the  life.  The  place  being  spacious  and  solitary, 
the  water  upon  every  side,  he  had  not  only  room  enough,  but  was  free 
from  interruption. 

It  is  well  known  that  some  of  these  early  creations  were  of  very  great 
size,  so  that  very  few  could  live  in  the  same  place,  and  their  strength  made 
it  difficult  for  Chemanitou,  even  to  controul  them ;  for  when  he  has  given 
them  certain  elements,  they  have  the  use  of  the  laws  that  govern  these  ele 
ments,  till  it  is  his  will  to  take  them  back  to  himself.  Accordingly,  it  was 
the  custom  of  Chemanitou,  when  he  wished  to  try  the  effect  of  these  crea 
tures,  to  set  them  in  motion  upon  the  island  of  Metowac,  and  if  they  did 
not  please  him,  he  took  the  life  out  before  they  were  suffered  to  escape. 
He  would  set  up  a  mammoth  or  other  large  animal,  in  the  centre  of  the 
island,  and  build  him  up  with  great  care,  somewhat  in  the  manner  that  a 
cabin  or  a  canoe  is  made. 

Even  to  this  day  may  be  found  traces  of  what  had  been  done  here  in 
former  years ;  and  the  manner  in  which  the  earth  sometimes  sinks  down 
[even  wells  fall  out  at  the  bottom  here,]  shows  that  this  island  is 
nothing  more  than  a  great  cake  of  earth,  a  sort  of  platter  laid  upon  the  sea, 
for  the  convenience  of  Chemanitou,  who  used  it  as  a  table  upon  which  he 
might  work,  never  having  designed  it  for  anything  else  ;  the  margin  of  the 
CHATIEMAC,  (the  stately  swan,)  or  Hudson  river,  being  better  adapted  to 
the  purposes  of  habitation . 

When  the  master  of  life  wished  to  build  up  an  elephant  or  mammoth  he 
placed  four  cakes  of  clay  upon  the  ground,  at  proper  distances,  which 
were  moulded  into  shape,  and  became  the  feet  of  the  animal. 

Now  sometimes  these  were  left  unfinished ;  and  to  this  day  the  green 
tussocks,  to  be  seen  like  little  islands  about  the  marshes,  show  where  these 
cakes  of  clay  had  been  placed. 

As  Chemanitou  went  on  with  his  work,  the  NEEBANAWBAIGS  (or  water 
spirits,)  the  PUCK-WUD-JINNIES,  (Fairies  *)  and  indeed  all  the  lesser  manit- 
toes,  used  to  come  and  look  on,  and  wonder  what  it  would  be,  and  how  it 
would  act. 

When  the  animal  was  quite  done,  and  had  dried  a  long  time  in  the  sun, 
Chemanitou  opened  a  place  in  the  side,  and  entering  in,  remained  there 

many  days. 

/ 

*  Literally,  little  men,  who  vanish. 


INDIAN   MYTHOLOGY.  123 

When  he  came  forth,  the  creature  began  to  shiver  and  sway  from  side 
to  side,  in  such  a  manner  as  shook  the  whole  island  for  many  leagues, 
If  his  appearance  pleased  the  master  of  life  he  was  suffered  to  depart,  and 
it  was  generally  found  that  these  animals  plunged  into  the  sea  upon  the 
north  side  of  the  island,  and  disappeared  in  the  great  forests  beyond. 

Now  at  one  time  Chemanitou  was  a  very  long  while  building  an  ani 
mal,  of  such  great  bulk,  that  it  looked  like  a  mountain  upon  the  cen 
tre  of  the  island  ;  and  all  the  manittoes,  from  all  parts,  came  to  see  what  it 
was.  The  Puck-wud-jinnies  especially  made  themselves  very  merry, 
capering  behind  his  great  ears,  sitting  within  his  mouth,  each  perched 
upon  a  tooth,  and  running  in  and  out  of  the  sockets  of  the  eyes,  think 
ing  ChemanitoUj  who  was  finishing  off  other  parts  of  the  animal,  could  not 
see  them. 

But  he  can  see  right  through  every  thing  he  has  made.  He  was  glad 
to  see  them  so  lively,  and  bethought  himself  of  many  new  creations  while 
he  watched  their  motions. 

When  the  Master  of  Life  had  completed  this  large  animal,  he  was  fear 
ful  to  give  it  life,  and  so  it  was  left  upon  the  island,  or  work-table  of  Che 
manitou,  till  its  great  weight  caused  it  to  break  through,  and  sinking 
partly  down  it  stuck  fast,  the  head  and  tail  holding  it  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  prevent  it  from  going  down. 

Chemanitou  then  lifted  up  a  piece  of  the  back,  and  found  it  made  a 
very  good  cavity,  into  which  the  old  creations,  which  failed  to  please  him, 
might  be  thrown. 

He  sometimes  amused  himself  by  making  creatures  very  small  and  ac 
tive,  with  which  he  disported  awhile,  and  finding  them  of  very  little  use 
in  the  world,  and  not  so  attractive  as  the  little  Vanishers,  he  would  take 
out  the  life,  holding  it  in  himself,  and  then  cast  them  into  the  cave  made 
by  the  body  of  the  unfinished  animal.  In  this  way  great  quantities  of 
very  odd  shapes  were  heaped  together  in  this  Roncomcomon^  or  "  Place  of 
Fragments." 

He  was  always  careful  to  first  take  out  the  life. 

One  day  the  Master  of  Life  took  two  pieces  of  clay  and  moulded  them 
into  two  large  feet,  like  those  of  a  panther.  He  did  not  make  four — there 
were  two  only. 

He  stepped  his  own  feet  into  them,  and  found  the  tread  very  light  and 
springy,  so  that  he  might  go  with  great  speed,  and  yet  make  no  noise. 

Next  he  built  up  a  pair  of  very  tall  legs,  in  the  shape  of  his  own,  and 
made  them  walk  about  awhile — he  was  pleased  with  the  motion.  Then 
followed  a  round  body,  covered  with  large  scales,  like  the  alligator. 

He  now  found  the  figure  doubling  forward,  and  he  fastened  a  long 
black  snake,  that  was  gliding  by,  to  the  back  part  of  the  body,  and  let  it 
wind  itself  about  a  sapling  near,  which  held  the  body  upright,  and  made 
a  very  good  tail. 


124  INDIAN    MYTHOLOGY. 

The  shoulders  were  broad  and  strong,  like  those  of  the  buffaloe,  and 
covered  with  hair — the  neck  thick  and  short,  and  full  at  the  back. 

Thus  far  Chemanitou  had  worked  with  little  thought,  but  when  he 
came  to  the  head  he  thought  a  long  while. 

He  took  a  round  ball  of  clay  into  his  lap,  and  worked  it  over  with  great 
care.  While  he  thought,  he  patted  the  ball  upon  the  top,  which  made  it 
very  broad  and  low;  for  Chemanitou  was  thinking  of  the  panther  feet, 
and  the  buffaloe  neck.  He  remembered  the  Puck-wud-jinnies  playing 
in  the  eye  sockets  of  the  great  unfinished  animal,  and  he  bethought  him 
to  set  the  eyes  out,  like  those  of  a  lobster,  so  that  the  animal  might  see 
upon  every  side. 

He  made  the  forehead  broad  and  full,  but  low ;  for  here  was  to  be  the 
wisdom  of  the  forked  tongue,  like  that  of  the  serpent,  which  should  be  in 
his  mouth.  He  should  see  all  things,  and  know  all  things.  Here  Che 
manitou  stopped,  for  he  saw  that  he  had  never  thought  of  such  a  creation 
before,  one  with  but  two  feet,  a  creature  who  should  stand  upright,  and 
see  upon  every  side. 

The  jaws  were  very  strong,  with  ivory  teeth,  and  gills  upon  either  side, 
which  arose  and  fell  whenever  breath  passed  through  them.  The  nose  was 
like  the  beak  of  the  vulture.  A  tuft  of  porcupine  quills  made  the  scalp-lock. 

Chemanitou  held  the  head  out  the  length  of  his  arm,  and  turned  it  first 
upon  one  side  and  then  upon  the  other.  He  passed  it  rapidly  through 
the  air,  and  saw  the  gills  rise  and  fall,  the  lobster  eyes  whirl  round,  and 
the  vulture  nose  look  keen. 

Chemanitou  became  very  sad  ;  yet  he  put  the  head  upon  the  shoulders. 
It  was  the  first  time  he  had  made  un  upright  figure. 

It  seemed  to  be  the  first  idea  of  a  man. 

It  was  now  nearly  night ;  the  bats  were  flying  through  the  air,  and  the 
roar  of  wild  beasts  began  to  be  heard.  A  gusty  wind  swept  in  from  the 
ocean,  and  passed  over  the  island  of  Metowac,  casting  the  light  sand  to 
and  fro.  A  heavy  scud  was  skimming  along  the  horizon,  while  higher 
up  in  the  sky  was  a  dark  thick  cloud,  upon  the  verge  of  which  the  moon 
hung  for  a  moment,  and  then  was  shut  in. 

A  panther  came  by  and  stayed  a  moment,  with  one  foot  raised  and 
bent  inward,  while  he  looked  up  at  the  image,  and  smelt  the  feet,  that 
were  like  his  own. 

A  vulture  swooped  down  with  a  great  noise  of  its  wings,  and  made  a 
dash  at  the  beak,  but  Chemanitou  held  him  back. 

Then  came  the  porcupine,  and  the  lizard,  and  the  snake,  each  drawn  by 
its  kind  in  the  image. 

Chemanitou  veiled  his  face  for  many  hours,  and  the  gusty  wind  swept 
by,  but  he  did  not  stir. 

He  saw  that  every  beast  of  the  earth  seeketh  its  kind  ;  and  that  which 
is  like  draweth  its  likeness  unto  himself. 


INDIAN    MYTHOLOGY.  125 

The  Master  of  Life  thought  and  thought.  The  idea  grew  into  his  mind 
that  at  some  time  he  would  create  a  creature  who  should  be  made  not 
after  the  things  of  the  earth,  but  after  himself. 

He  should  link  this  world  to  the  spirit  world, — being  made  in  the  like 
ness  of  the  Great  Spirit,  he  should  be  drawn  unto  his  likeness. 

Many  days  and  nights,  whole  seasons,  passed  while  Chemanitou 
thought  upon  these  things.  He  saw  all  things. 

Then  the  Master  of  Life  lifted  up  his  head ;  the  stars  were  looking 
down  upon  the  image,  and  a  bat  had  alighted  upon  the  forehead,  spreading 
its  great  wings  upon  each  side.  Chemanitou  took  the  bat  and  held  out  its 
whole  leathery  wings,  (and  ever  since  the  bat,  when  he  rests,  lets  his 
body  hang  down,)  so  that  he  could  try  them  over  the  head  of  the  image. 
He  then  took  the  life  of  the  bat  away,  and  twisted  off  the  body,  by  which 
means  the  whole  thin  part  fell  down  over  the  head,  and  upon  each  side, 
making  the  ears,  and  a  covering  for  the  forehead  like  that  of  the  hooded 
serpent. 

Chemanitou  did  not  cut  off  the  face  of  the  image  below,  he  went  on 
and  made  a  chin,  and  lips  that  were  firm  and  round,  that  they  might  shut 
in  the  forked  tongue,  and  the  ivory  teeth ;  and  he  knew  that  with  the  lips 
and  the  chin  it  would  smile,  when  life  should  be  given  to  it. 

The  image  was  now  all  done  but  the  arms,  and  Chemanitou  saw  that 
with  a  chin  it  must  have  hands.  He  grew  more  grave. 

He  had  never  given  hands  to  any  creature. 

He  made  the  arms  and  the  hands  very  beautiful,  after  the  manner  of  his 
own. 

Chemanitou  now  took  no  pleasure  in  his  work  that  was  done — it  was 
not  good  in  his  sight. 

He  wished  he  had  not  given  it  hands ;  might  it  not,  when  trusted  with 
life,  might  it  not  begin  to  create  ?  might  it  not  thwart  the  plans  of  the 
master  of  life  himself! 

He  looked  long  at  the  image.  He  saw  what  it  would  do  when  life 
should  be  given  it.  He  knew  all  things. 

He  now  put  fire  in  the  image :  but  fire  is  not  life. 

He  put  fire  within,  and  a  red  glow  passed  through  and  through  it 
The  fire  dried  the  clay  of  which  it  was  made,  and  gave  the  image  an  ex 
ceedingly  fierce  aspect.  It  shone  through  the  scales  upon  the  breast,  and  the 
gills,  and  the  bat-winged  ears.  The  lobster  eyes  were  like  a  living  coal. 

Chemanitou  opened  the  side  of  the  image,  but  he  did  not  enter.  He 
had  given  it  hands  and  a  chin. 

It  could  smile  like  the  manittoes  themselves. 

He  made  it  walk  all  about  the  island  of  Metowac,  that  he  might  see 
how  it  would  act.  This  he  did  by  means  of  his  will. 

He  now  put  a  little  life  into  it,  but  he  did  not  take  out  the  fire.  Che 
manitou  saw  the  aspect  of  the  creature  would  be  very  terrible,  and  yet  that 


INDIAN   MYTHOLOGY. 

he  could  smile  in  such  a  manner  that  he  ceased  to  he  ugly.  He  thought 
much  upon  these  things.  He  felt  it  would  not  be  best  to  let  such  a 
creature  live  ;  a  creature  made  up  mostly  from  the  beasts  of  the  field,  but 
with  hands  of  power,  a  chin  lifting  the  head  upward,  and  lips  holding  all 
things  within  themselves. 

While  he  thought  upon  these  things,  he  took  the  image  in  his  hands 
and  cast  it  into  the  cave. 

But  Chemanitou  forgot  to  take  out  the  life  ! 

The  creature  lay  a  long  time  in  the  cave  and  did  not  stir,  for  his  fall 
was  very  great.  He  lay  amongst  the  old  creations  that  had  been  thrown 
in  there  without  life. 

Now  when  a  long  time  had  passed  Chemanitou  heard  a  great  noise  in 
the  cave.  He  looked  in  and  saw  the  image  sitting  there,  and  he  was  try 
ing  to  put  together  the  old  broken  things  that  had  been  cast  in  as  of  no  value. 

Chemanitou  gathered  together  a  vast  heap  of  stones  and  sand,  for  large 
rocks  are  not  to  be  had  upon  the  island,  and  stopped  the  mouth  of  the  cave. 
Many  days  passsed  and  the  noise  grew  louder  within  the  cave.  The 
earth  shook,  arid  hot  smoke  came  from  the  ground.  The  Manittoes 
crowded  to  Metowac  to  see  what  was  the  matter. 

Chemanitou  came  also,  for  he  remembered  the  image  he  had  cast  in 
there,  and  forgotten  to  take  away  the  life. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  great  rising  of  the  stones  and  sand — the  sky 
grew  black  with  wind  and  dust.  Fire  played  about  the  ground,  and 
water  gushed  high  into  the  air. 

All  the.  Manittoes  fled  with  fear  ;  and  the  image  came  forth  with  a  great 
noise  and  most  terrible  to  behold.  His  life  had  grown  strong  within 
him,  for  the  fire  had  made  it  very  fierce. 

Everything  fled  before  him  and  cried — MACHINITO —  MACHINITO — which 
means  a  god,  but  an  evil  god ! 

The  above  legend  is  gathered  from  the  traditions  of  lagou,  the  great 
Indian  narrator,  who  seems  to  have  dipped  deeper  into  philosophy  than 
most  of  his  compeers.  The  aboriginal  language  abounds  with  stories  re 
lated  by  this  remarkable  personage,  which  we  hope  to  bring  before  the 
public  at  some  future  time.  Whether  subsequent  events  justify  the  Indian 
in  making  Long  Island  the  arena  of  the  production  of  Machinito  or  the 
Evil  Spirit,  will  seem  more  than  apocryphal  to  a  white  resident.  How 
ever  we  have  nothing  to  do  except  to  relate  the  fact  as  it  was  related. 

As  to  these  primitive  metaphysics,  they  are  at  least  curious  ;  and  the  cool 
ness  with  which  the  fact  is  assumed  that  the  origin  of  evil  was  accidental 
in  the  process  of  developing  a  perfect  humanity,  would,  at  an  earlier  day, 
have  been  quite  appalling  to  the  schoolmen.  E.  O.  S. 


REPOSE  OF  THE  SOUL. 
i 

WHEN  an  Indian  corpse  is  put  in  a  coffin,  among  the  tribes  of  the  Lake- 
Algonquins,  the  lid  is  tied  down,  and  not  nailed.  On  depositing  it  in  the 
grave,  the  rope  or  string  is  loosed,  and  the  weight  of  the  earth  alojie. 
relied  on,  to  keep  it  in  a  fixed  position.  The  reason  they  give  for  this,  is, 
that  the  soul  may  have  free  egress  from  the  body. 

Over  the  top  of  the  grave  a  covering  of  cedar  bark  is  put,  to  shed  the 
rain.  This  is  roof-shaped  and  the  whole  structure  looks,  slightly,  like  a 
house  in  miniature.  It  has  gable  ends.  Through  one  of  these,  being  the 
head,  an  aperture  is  cut.  On  asking  a  Chippewa  why  this  was  done,  he 
replied, — "  To  allow  the  soul  to  pass  out,  and  in." 

"  I  thought,"  I  replied,  "  that  you  believed  that  the  soul  went  up  from 
the  body  at  the  time  of  death,  to  a  land  of  happiness.  How,  then,  can  it 
remain  in  the  body?" 

"  There  are  two  souls,"  replied  the  Indian  philosopher. 

"  How  can  this  be  ?  my  friend." 

"  It  is  easily  explained,"  said  he. 

"  You  know  that,  in  dreams,  we  pass  over  wide  countries,  and  see  hills 
and  lakes  and  mountains,  and  many  scenes,  which  pass  before  our  eyes, 
and  affect  us.  Yet,  at  the  same  time,  our  bodies  do  not  stir,  and  there  is 
a  soul  left  with  the  body, — else  it  would  be  dead.  So,  you  perceive,  it  must 
be  another  soul  that  accompanies  us." 

This  conversation  took  place,  in  the  Indian  country.  I  knew  the  In 
dian  very  well,  and  had  noticed  the  practice,  not  general  now,  on  the  fron 
tiers,  of  tying  the  coffin-lid,  in  burials.  It  is  at  the  orifice  in  the  bark 
sheeting  mentioned,  that  the  portion  of  food,  consecrated  in  feasts  for  the 
dead,  is  set.  It  could  not  but  happen,  that  the  food  should  be  eaten  by  the 
hystrix,  wolf,  or  some  other  animal,  known  to  prowl  at  night ;  nor  that, 
Indian  superstition,  ever  ready  to  turn  slight  appearances  of  this  kind  to 
iccount,  should  attribute  its  abstraction  to  the  spirit  of  the  deceased. 


THE  LITTLE  SPIRIT,  OR  BOY-MAN. 

AN  ODJIBWA  FAIRY  TALE. 

WRITTEN    OUT   FROM   THE   VERBAL    NARRATIVE   BY    THE   LATE 
MRS.    H.  R.    SCHOOLCRAFT. 

THERE  was  once  a  little  boy,  remarkable  for  the  smallness  of  his  stature. 
He  was  living  alone  with  his  sister  older  than  himself.  They  were  orphans, 
they  lived  in  a  beautiful  spot  on  the  Lake  shore  ;  nany  large  rocks  were 

127 


128  THE    LITTLE    SPIRIT,    OR    BOY-MAN. 

scattered  aiound  their  habitation.  The  boy  never  grew  larger  as  he 
advanced  in  years.  One  day,  in  winter,  he  asked  his  sister  to  make  him 
a  ball  to  play  with  along  shore  on  the  clear  ice.  Sh%  made  one  for  him, 
but  cautioned  him  not  to  go  too  far. — Off  he  went  in  high  glee,  throwing 
his  ball  before  him,  and  running  after  it  at  full  speed  ;  and  he  went  as  fast 
a%  his  ball.  At  last  his  ball  flew  to  a  great  distance:  he  followed  it  as  fast 
as  he  could.  After  he  had  run  for  some  time,  he  saw  four  dark  substances 
on  the  ice  straight  before  him.  When  he  came  up  to  the  spot  he  was  sur 
prised  to  see  four  large,  tall  men  lying  on  the  ice,  spearing  fish.  When  he 
went  up  to  them,  the  nearest  looked  up  and  in  turn  was  surprised  to  see 
such  a"  diminutive  being,  and  turning  to  his  brothers,  he  said,  "  Tia!  look ! 
see  what  a  little  fellow  is  here."  After  they  had  all  looked  a  mo 
ment,  they  resumed  their  position,  covered  their  heads,  intent  in  searching 
for  fish.  The  boy  thought  to  himself,  they  imagine  me  too  insignificant 
for  common  courtesy,  because  they  are  tall  and  large  ;  I  shall  teach  them 
notwithstanding,  that  I  am  not  to  be  treated  so  lightly.  After  they  were 
covered  up  the  boy  saw  they  had  each  a  large  trout  lying  beside  them. 
He  slyly  took  the  one  nearest  him,  and  placing  his  fingers  in  the  gills,  and 
tossing  his  ball  before  him,  ran  off  at  full  speed.  When  the  man  to 
whom  the  fish  belonged  looked  up,  he  saw  his  trout  sliding  away  as  if  of 
itself,  at  a  great  rate — the  boy  being  so  small  he  was  not  distinguished  from 
the  fish.  He  addressed  his  brothers  and  said,  "  See  how  that  tiny  boy 
has  stolen  my  fish ;  what  a  shame  it  is  he  should  do  so."  The  boy 
reached  home,  and  told  his  sister  to  go  out  and  get  the  fish  he  had  brought, 
home.  She  exclaimed,  "  where  could  you  have  got  it?  I  hope  you  have 
not  stolen  it."  "  O  no,"  he  replied,  "  I  found  it  on  the  ice."  "  How"  per 
sisted  the  sister,  "could  you  have  got  it  there  ?" — "  No  matter,"  said  the  boy, 
"  go  and  cook  it."  He  disdained  to  answer  her  again,  but  thought  he 
would  one  day  show  her  how  to  appreciate  him.  She  went  to  the  place 
he  left  it,  and  there  indeed  she  found  a  monstrous  trout.  She  did  as  she 
was  bid,  and  cooked  it  for  that  day's  consumption.  Next  morning  he  went 
orT again  as  at  first.  When  he  came  near  the  large  men,  who  fished  every 
day,  he  threw  his  ball  with  such  force  that  it  rolled  into  the  ice-hole  of 
the  man  of  whom  he  had  stolen  the  day  before.  As  he  happened  to  raise 
himself  at  the  time,  the  boy  said,  "  Neejee,  pray  hand  me  my  ball."  "  No 
indeed,"  answered  the  man,  "  I  shall  not,"  and  thrust  the  ball  under  the 
ice.  The  boy  took  hold  of  his  arm  and  broke  it  in  two  in  a  moment,  and 
threw  him  to  one  side,  and  picked  up  his  ball,  which  had  bounded  back 
from  under  the  ice,  and  tossed  it  as  usual  before  him.  Outstripping  it  in 
speed,  he  got  home  and  remained  within  till  the  next  morning.  The 
man  whose  arm  he  had  broken  hallooed  out  to  his  brothers,  and  told  them 
his  case,  and  deplored  his  fate.  They  hurried  to  their  brother,  and  as 
loud  as  they  could  roar  threatened  vengeance  on  the  morrow,  knowing 


THE    LITTLE    SPIRIT,    OR    BOY-MAN.  129 

the  boy's  speed  that  they  could  not  overtake  him,  and  he  was  near  out  of 
sight ;  yet  he  heard  their  threats  and  awaited  their  coming  in  perfect  in 
difference.  The  four  brothers  the  next  morning  prepared  to  take  their 
revenge.  Their  old  mother  begged  them  not  to  go — "  Better"  said  she  "  that 
one  only  should  suffer,  than  that  all  should  perish ;  for  he  must  be  a 
monedo,  or  he  could  not  perform  such  feats."  But  her  sons  would  not  lis 
ten  ;  and  taking  their  wounded  brother  along,  started  for  the  boy's  lodge, 
having  learnt  that  he  lived  at  the  place  of  rocks.  The  boy's  sister  thought 
she  heard  the  noise  of  snow-shoes  on  the  crusted  snow  at  a  distance  ad 
vancing.  She  saw  the  large,  tall  men  coming  straight  to  their  lodge,  or 
rather  cave,  for  they  lived  in  a  large  rock.  She  ran  in  with  great  fear,  and 
told  her  brother  the  fact.  He  said,  "  Why  do  you  mind  them?  give  me 
something  to  eat."  "  How  can  you  jfcink  of  eating  at  such  a  time,"  she 
replied, — "  Do  as  I  request  you,  and  be  quick."  She  then  gave  him  his 
dish,  which  was  a  large  mis-qua-dace  shell,  and  he  commenced  eating.  Just 
then  the  men  came  to  the  door,  and  were  about  lifting  the  curtain  placed 
there,  when  the  boy-man  turned  his  dish  upside-down,  and  immediately 
the  door  was  closed  with  a  stone ;  the  men  tried  hard  with  their  clubs  to 
crack  it ;  at  length  they  succeeded  in  making  a  slight  opening.  When  one 
of  them  peeped  in  with  one  eye,  the  boy-man  shot  his  arrow  into  his  eye 
and  brain,  and  he  dropped  down  dead.  The  others,  not  knowing  what  had 
happened  their  brother,  did  the  same,  and  all  fell  in  like  manner ;  their 
curiosity  was  so  great  to  see  what  the  boy  was  about.  So  they  all  shared 
the  same  fate.  After  they  were  killed  the  boy-man  told  his  sister  to  go 
out  and  see  them.  She  opened  the  door,  but  feared  they  were  not  dead,  and 
entered  back  again  hastily,  and  told  her  fears  to  her  brother.  He  went  out 
and  hacked  them  in  small  pieces,  saying,  "henceforth  let  no  man  be 
larger  than  you  are  now.  So  men  became  of  the  present  size.  When 
spring  came  on,  the  boy-man  said  to  his  sister,  "  Make  me  a  new  set  of 
arrows  and  bow."  She  obeyed,  as  he  never  did  any  thing  himself  of  a  na 
ture  that  required  manual  labour,  though  he  provided  for  their  sustenance. 
After  she  made  them,  she  again  cautioned  him  not  to  shoot  into  the  lake  ; 
but  regardless  of  all  admonition,  he,  on  purpose,  shot  his  arrow  into  the 
lake,  and  waded  some  distance  till  he  got  into  deep  water,  and  paddled 
about  for  his  arrow,  so  as  to  attract  the  attention  of  his  sister.  She  came 
in  haste  to  the  shore,  calling  him  to  return,  but  instead  of  minding  her 
he  called  out,  "  Ma-mis-quon-je-gun-a,  be-nau-wa-con-zhe-shin,"  that  is, 
"  you,  of  the  red  fins  come  and  swallow  me."  Immediately  that  monstrous 
fish  came  and  swallowed  him ;  and  seeing  his  sister  standing  on  the  shore 
in  despair,  he  hallooed  out  to  her,  "  Me-zush-ke-zin-ance."  She  wondered 
what  he  meant.  But  on  reflection  she  thought  it  must  be  an  old  mockesin. 
She  accordingly  tied  the  old  mockesin  to  a  string,  and  fastened  it  to  a  tree. 
The  fish  said  to  the  boy-man,  under  water,  "What  is  that  floating?"  the 
boy-man  said  to  the  fish,  "Go,  take  hold  of  it,  swallow  it  as  fast  as  you 

9 


130  THE    LITTLE   SPIRIT,    OR   BOY-MAN. 

can."  The  fish  darted  towards  the  old  shoe,  and  swallowed  it.  The  boy- 
man  laughed  in  himself,  but  said  nothing,  till  the  fish  was  fairly  caught ; 
he  then  took  hold  of  the  line  and  began  to  pull  himself  and  fish  to 
shore.  The  sister,  who  was  watching,  was  surprised  to  see  so  large  a  fish ; 
and  hauling  it  ashore  she  took  her  knife  and  commenced  cutting  it  open. 
When  she  heard  her  brother's  voice  inside  of  the  fish,  saying,  "  Make 
haste  and  release  me  from  this  nasty  place,"  "his  sister  was  in  such  haste 
that  she  almost  hit  his  head  with  her  knife  ;  but  succeeded  in  making  an 
opening  large  enough  for  her  brother  to  get  out.  When  he  was  fairly  out, 
he  told  his  sister  to  cut  up  the  fish  and  dry  it,  as  it  would  last  a  long  time 
for  their  sustenance,  and  said  to  her,  never,  never  more  to  doubt  his  ability 
in  any  way.  So  ends  the  story. 


AINGODON  AND  NAY¥ADAHA. 


BTORT  OF  A  FAMILY  OF  NADOWAS,  OR  PEOPLE  OF  THE  SIX  NATIONS  OF  TORONTO^ 
CONSISTING  OF  SIX  BROTHERS,  THEIR  YOUNGEST  SISTER,  AND  TWO  AUNTS.  THEIR 
FATHER  AND  MOTHER  HAVING  DIED,  THEY  WERE  LEFT  ORPHANS,  THEIR  ORIGIN, 
HOWEVER,  WAS  FROM  THE  FIRST  CLASS  OF  CHIEFTAINS  IN  THEIR  NATION. 

NARRATED  FROM  THE  ORAL  RELATION  OF  NABANOI,  BY 
MR.  GEORGE  JOHNSTON. 

IN  the  days  of  this  story,  wars,  murders,  and  cruelty  existed  in  the 
country  now  comprising  the  province  of  Upper  Canada,  or  that  portion 
bordering  upon  Lakes  Simcoe,  Erie,  and  Ontariof  which  was  claimed  and 
belonged  to  the  powerful  tribe  of  the  eight  nations  of  the  Nawtoways. 
The  young  men  had,  on  a  day,  started  for  a  hunting  excursion :  in  the 
evening  five  only  of  the  brothers  returned,  one  was  missing.  Upon  search 
being  made  the  body  was  found,  and  it  appeared  evident  that  he  had  been 
killed :  this  gave  a  great  blow  to  the  family,  but  particularly  causing  great 
affliction  to  the  sister,  who  was  the  youngest  of  the  family.  She  mourned 
and  lamented  her  brother's  death,  and  she  wept  incessantly. 

The  ensuing  year  another  was  killed,  and  so  on  till  four  were  killed. 
The  remaining  two  brothers  did  all  they  could  to  afford  consolation  to 
their  pining  sister,  but  she  would  not  be  consoled :  they  did  all  they  could 
to  divert  her  mind  from  so  much  mourning,  but  all  their  endeavours 
proved  ineffectual :  she  scarcely  took  any  food,  and  what  she  ate  was 
hardly  sufficient  to  sustain  nature.  The  two  brothers  said  that  they 
would  go  hunting,  which  they  did  from  day  to  day.  They  would  bring 


AINGODON    AND    NAYWADAHA.  131 

ducks  and  birds  of  every  description  to  their  sister,  in  order  to  tempt  her 
appetite,  but  she  persisted  in  refusing  nourishment,  or  taking  very  little. 
At  the  exp'ration  of  the  year  when  the  fourth  brother  had  been  killed, 
the  two  young  men  set  out  upon  the  chase ;  one  of  them  returned  in  the 
evening,  the  other  was  missing,  and  found  killed  in  like  manner  as  the 
others  had  been.  This  again  augmented  the  afflictions  of  the  young  girl  ; 
she  had  been  very  delicate,  but  was  now  reduced  to  a  mere  skeleton.  At 
the  expiration  of  the  year  the  only  and  last  of  her  brothers,  taking  pity 
upon  his  pining  sister,  said  to  her  that  he  would  go  and  1^11  her  some  fresh 
venison,  to  entice  her  to  eat.  He  started  early  in  the  morning,  and  his  sister 
would  go  out  from  time  to  time,  in  the  course  of  the  day,  to  see  if  her  bro 
ther  was  returning.  Night  set  in,  and  no  indications  of  his  coming — she 
sat  up  all  night,  exhibiting  fear  and  apprehension  bordering  upon  despair — 
day  light  appeared,  and  he  did  not  come — search  was  made,  and  he  was 
finally  found  killed,  like  all  the  other  brothers.  After  this  event  the  girl  be 
came  perfectly  disconsolate,  hardly  tasting  food,  and  would  wander  in  the 
woods  the  whole  day,  returning  at  nights.  One  of  her  aunts  had  the  care 
of  her  at  this  time.  One  day  in  one  of  her  rambles  she  did  not  return ; 
her  aunt  became  very  anxious,  and  searched  for  her,  and  continued  her 
search  daily.  On  the  tenth  day,  the  aunt  in  her  search  lost  her  way  and 
was  bewildered,  and  finally  was  benighted.  While  lying  down,  worn  with 
fatigue,  she  thought  she  heard  the  voice  of  some  one  speaking:  she  got  up, 
and  directing  her  course  to  the  spot,  she  came  upon  a  small  lodge  made 
of  bushes,  and  in  it  lay  her  niece,  with  her  face  to  the  ground.  She  pre 
vailed  upon  her  to  return  home.  Before  reaching  their  lodge  the  girl  stopt, 
and  her  aunt  built  her  a  small  lodge,  and  she  resided  in  it.  Here  her 
aunt  would  attend  upon  her  daily. 

One  day  as  she  lay  alone  in  her  little  lodge,  a  person  appeared  to  her 
from,  on  high :  he  had  on  white  raiment  that  was  extremely  pure,  clean  and 
white :  he  did  not  touch  the  earth,  but  remained  at  some  distance  from  it. 
He  spoke  to  her  in  a  mild  tone  and  said,  Daughter,  why  do  you  remain 
here  mourning  ?  I  have  come  to  console  you,  and  you  must  arise,  and  I 
will  give  you  all  the  land,  and  deliver  into  your  hands  the  persons  who 
have  killed  your  brothers.  All  things  living  and  created  are  mine,  I  give 
and  take  away.  Now  therefore  arise,  slay  and  eat  of  my  dog  that  lays 
there.  You  will  go  to  your  village  and  firstly  tell  your  relatives  and  na 
tion  of  this  vision,  and  you  must  act  conformably  to  my  word  and  to  the 
mind  I'll  give  you,  and  your  enemies  will  I  put  into  your  hands.  I  will 
be  with  you  again. 

After  this,  he  ascended  on  high.  When  the  girl  looked  to  the  place 
where  the  heavenly  being  pointed,  she  saw  a  bear.  She  arose  and  went 
home,  and  mentioned  to  her  relatives  the  vision  she  had  seen,  and  made 
a  request  that  the  people  might  be  assembled  to  partake  of  her  feast.  She 
directed  her  relations  to  the  spot  where  the  bear  was  to  be  found  ;  it  wa» 


132  AINGODON    AND    NAYWADAHA. 

killed  and  brought  to  the  village,  and  singed  upon  a  fire,  and  the  feast 
was  made,  and  the  nature  of  the  vision  explained.  Preparations  were  im 
mediately  set  on  foot,  messengers  were  sent  to  each  tribe  of  the  six  nations, 
and  an  invitation  given  to  them,  to  come  upon  a  given  day  to  the  village 
of  Toronto.  Messengers  were  also  sent  all  along  the  north  coast  of  lake 
Huron  to  Bawiting.  inviting  the  Indians  to  form  an  alliance  and  fight 
a.gainst  the  enemies  of  the  young  girl  who  had  lost  so  many  brothers. 

In  the  midst  of  the  Nadowas,  there  lived  two  chieftains,  twin  brothers. 
They  were  Nad^nvas  also  of  the  Bear  tribe,  perfect  devils  in  disposition, 
cruel  and  tyrannical.  They  were  at  the  head  of  two  nations  of  the  Na 
dowas,  reigning  together,  keeping  the  other  nations  in  great  fear  and  awe, 
and  enslaving  them  ;  particularly  the  Indians  of  the  Deer  totem,  who  re 
sided  in  one  portion  of  their  great  village.  Indians  in  connection  with 
the  Chippewas  were  also  kept  in  bondage  by  the  two  tyrants,  whose  names 
were  Aingodon  and  Naywadaha.  When  the  Chippewas  received  the 
young  girl's  messengers,  they  were  told  that  they  must  rescue  their  re 
latives,  and  secretly  apprize  them  of  their  intention,  and  the  great 
calamity  that  would  befall  Aingodon  and  Naywadaha's  villages  and  towns. 
Many  therefore  made  their  escape ;  but  one  remained  with  his  family, 
sending  an  excuse  for  not  obeying  the  summons,  as  he  had  a  great  quan 
tity  of  corn  laid  up,  and  that  he  must  attend  to  his  crops.  The  Indians  all 
along  the  north  shore  of  lake  Huron  and  of  Bawiting,  embarked  to  join 
the  general  and  common  cause ;  they  passed  through  the  lakes,  and 
reached  Toronto  late  in  the  fall.  In  the  beginning  of  the  winter  the  assem 
bled  allies  marched,  headed  by  the  young  girl.  She  passed  through  lake 
Simcoe,  and  the  line  covered  the  whole  lake,  cracking  the  ice  as  they 
marched  over  it.  They  encamped  at  the  head  of  the  lake.  Here  the  young 
girl  produced  a  garnished  bag,  and  she  hung  it  up,  and  told  the  assembled 
multitude  that  she  would  make  ckingodam ;  and  after  this  she  sent  hunters 
out  directing  them  to  bring  in  eighteen  bears,  and  before  the  sun  had 
risen  high  the  bears  were  all  brought  in,  and  they  were  singed,  and  the 
feast  of  sacrifice  offered.  At  this  place  the  person  from  on  high  appeared 
to  the  girl  in  presence  of  the  assembled  multitude,  and  he  stretched 
forth  his  hand  and  shook  hands  with  her  only.  He  here  directed  her  to 
send  secret  messengers  into  the  land,  to  warn  the  Indians  who  had  the 
deer  totem  to  put  out  their  totems  on  poles  before  their  lodge  door,  in 
order  that  they  might  be  known  and  saved  from  the  approaching  destruc 
tion  ;  and  they  were  enjoined  not  to  go  out  of  their  lodges,  neither  man, 
woman,  or  child  ;  if  they  did  so  they  would  be  surely  consumed  and  de 
stroyed  ;  and  the  person  on  high  said — Do  not  approach  nigh  the  open  plain 
until  the  rising  sun,  you  will  then  see  destruction  come  upon  your 
enemies,  and  they  will  be  delivered  into  your  hands. 

The  messengers  were  sent  to  the  Deer  Totems,  and  they  entered  the 
town  at  night,  and  communicated  their  message  to  them.  After  this  all 


AINGODON    AND    NAYWADAHA.  133 

the  Indians  bearing  that  mark  were  informed  of  the  approaching  calamity, 
and  they  instantly  made  preparations,  setting  out  poles  before  their  lodge 
doors,  and  attaching  deer  skins  to  the  poles,  as  marks  to  escape  the  ven 
geance  that  was  to  come  upon  Aingodon  and  Nawadaha,  and  their  tribes. 
The  next  morning  at  daylight  the  Aingodons  and  Nawadahas  rose,  and 
seeing  the  poles  and  deer  skins  planted  before  the  doors  of  the  lodges, 
said  in  derision,  that  their  friends,  the  Deer  Totems,  had,  or  must  have  had, 
bad  d  reams,  thus  to  set  their  totems  on  poles.  The  Indians  of  the  deer  totems 
remained  quiet  and  silent,  and  they  did  not  venture  out  of  their  lodges.  The 
young  girl  was  nigh  the  skirts  of  the  wood  with  her  hos't,  bordering  upon 
the  plain  ;  and  just  as  the  sun  rose  she  marched,  and  as  she  and  her  allied 
forces  neared  the  village  of  the  twin  tyrants,  it  became  a  flame  of  fire,  de 
stroying  all  its  inhabitants.  The  Deer  Totems  escaped.  Aingodon  and  Na 
wadaha  were  not  consumed.  The  allied  Indians  drew  their  bows  and  shot 
their  arrows  at  them,  but  they  bounded  off,  and  the  blows  inflicted  upon 
them  were  of  no  avail,  until  the  young  girl  came  up  and  subdued  them, 
and  took  them  alive,  and  made  them  prisoners. 

The  whole  of  Aingodon's  and  Nawadaha's  towns  and  villages  were 
destroyed  in  the  same  way ;  and  the  land  was  in  possession  of  the  young 
girl  and  the  six  remaining  tribes  of  the  Nadowas.  After  this  signal  ven 
geance  was  taken  the  young  girl  returned  with  her  host,  and  again  en 
camped  at  the  head  of  lake  Simcoe,  at  her  former  encamping  place ;  and 
the  two  tyrants  were  asked,  what  was  their  object  for  making  chingodam, 
and  what  weight  could  it  have?  They  said,  in  answer,  that  their  imple 
ments  for  war,  were  war  axes,  and  if  permitted  they  would  make  chingodam, 
and  on  doing  so  they  killed  each  two  men.  They  were  bound  immediately, 
and  their  flesh  was  cut  off  from  their  bodies  in  slices.  One  of  them  was 
dissected,  and  upon  examination  it  was  discovered  that  he  had  no  liver, 
and  his  heart  was  small,  and  composed  of  hard  flint  stone.  There  are 
marks  upon  a  perpendicular  ledge  of  rocks  at  the  narrows,  or  head  of  lake 
Simcoe,  visible  to  this  day,  representing  two  bound  persons,  who  are  re 
cognized  by  the  Indians  of  this  generation  as  the  two  tyrants,  or  twin 
brothers,  Aingodon  and  Nawadaha.  One  of  the  tyrants  was  kept  bound, 
until  the  time  the  French  discovered  and  possessed  the  Canadas,  and  he 
was  taken  to  Quebec.  After  this  the  young  girl  was  taken  away  by  the 
god  of  light. 

GEO.  JOHNSTON. 
Sault  Ste.  Movie,  May  12*A,  1838. 


The  Indian  warriors  of  the  plains  west  of  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi, 
chew  a  bitter  root,  before  going  into  battle,  which  they  suppose  impart? 
courage,  and  renders  them  insensible  to  pain.  It  is  called  zhigowak. 


SKETCHES   OF  THE  LIVES   OP 

NOTED  ftED  MEN  AID  WOMEN 

WHO  HAVE  APPEARED  ON  THE-  WESTERN  CONTINENT. 


WABOJEEG,  OR  THE  WHITE  FISHER. 

This  individual  has  indelibly  interwoven  his  name  with  the  history  of 
the  Chippewa  nation,  during-  the  latter  half  of  the  18th  century.  His  an 
cestors  had,  from  the  earliest  times,  held  the  principal  chieftainship  in  lake 
Superior.  His  father,  Ma-mongazida,  was  the  ruling  chief  during  the 
war  of  the  conquest  of  the  Canadas  by  the  British  crown.  In  common 
with  his  tribe  and  the  northern  nations  generally,  he  was  the  fast  friend 
of  the  French  government,  and  was  present  with  his  warriors,  under  Gen. 
Montcalm,  at  the  loss  of  Quebec,  in  1759.  He  carried  a  short  speech  from 
that  celebrated  officer  to  his  people  in  the  north,  which  is  said  to  have 
been  verbally  delivered  a  short  time  before  he  went  to  the  field. 

The  period  of  the  fall  of  the  French  power  in  the  Canadas,  is  one  of 
the  most  marked  events  in  Indian  reminiscence  throughout  all  northwest 
America.  They  refer  to  the  days  of  French  supremacy  as  a  kind  of 
golden  era,  when  all  things  in  their  affairs  were  better  than  they  now  are ; 
and  I  have  heard  them  lament  over  the  change  as  one  which  was 
in  every  respect  detrimental  to  their  power  and  happiness.  No  European 
nation,  it  is  evident  from  these  allusions,  ever  pleased  them  as  well.  The 
French  character  and  manners  adapted  themselves  admirably  to  the  exist 
ing  customs  of  forest  life.  The  common  people,  who  went  up  into  the  in 
terior  to  trade,  fell  in  with  their  customs  with  a  degree  of  plasticity  and 
an  air  of  gaiety  and  full  assent,  which  no  other  foreigners  have,  at  least  to 
the  same  extent,  shown.  These  Couriers  du  Bois  had  not  much  to  boast 
of  on  the  score  of  rigid  morals  themselves.  They  had  nearly  as  much  su 
perstition  as  the  wildest  Indians.  They  were  in  fact,  at  least  nine-tenths 
of  them,  quite  as  illiterate.  Very  many  of  them  were  far  inferior  in  their 
mental  structure  and  capacity  to  the  bold,  eloquent,  and  well  formed  and 
athletic  northern  chiefs  and  hunters.  They  respected  their  religious  and 
festive  ceremonies.  They  never,  as  a  chief  once  told  me,  laughed  at 
them.  They  met  their  old  friends  on  their  annual  returns  from  Montreal, 
with  a  kiss.  They  took  the  daughters  of  the  red  men  for  wives,  and 
reared  large  families,  who  thus  constituted  a  strong  bond  of  union  between 

tka  two  races,  which  remains  unbroken  at  this  day. 

134 


WABOJEEG,    OR   THE    WHITE    FISHER.  135 

t 

This  is  the  true  secret  of  the  strenuous  efforts  made  by  the  nortnern  and 
western  Indians  to  sustain  the  French  power,  when  it  was  menaced  in  the 
war  of  1744,  by  the  fleets  and  armies  of  Great  Britain.  They  rallied 
freely  to  their  aid  at  Detroit,  Vincennes,  the  present  sites  of  Pittsburg  and 
Erie,  at  Fort  Niagara,  Montreal,  and  Quebec,  and  they  hovered  with  in 
furiated  zeal  around  the  outskirts  of  the  northern  and  western  settlements, 
during  the  many  and  sanguinary  wars  carried  on  between  the  English 
and  French.  And  when  the  French  were  beaten  they  still  adhered 
to  their  cause,  and  their  chiefs  stimulated  the  French  local  commanders  to 
continue  and  renew  the  contest,  even  after  the  fall  of  Niagara  and  Quebec, 
with  a  heroic  consistency  of  purpose,  which  reflects  credit  upon  their  fore 
sight,  bravery,  and  constancy.  We  hope  in  a  future  number  to  bring  for 
ward  a  sketch  of  the  man  who  put  himself  at  the  head  of  this  latter  effort, 
who  declared  he  would  drive  the  Saxon  race  into  the  sea,  who  beseiged 
twelve  and  took  nine  of  the  western  stockaded  forts,  and  who  for  four  years 
and  upwards,  maintained  the  war,  after  the  French  had  struck  their  colours 
and  ceded  the  country.  We  refer  to  the  great  Algic  leader,  Pontiac. 

At  present  our  attention  is  called  to  a  cotemporary  chief,  of  equal  per 
sonal  bravery  and  conduct,  certainly,  but  who  lived  and  exercised  his  au 
thority  at  a  more  remote  point,  and  had  not  the  same  masses  and  means 
at  his  command.  This  point,  so  long  hid  in  the  great  forests  of  the  north, 
and  which,  indeed,  has  been  but  lately  revealed  in  our  positive  geography, 
is  the  AREA  OF  LAKE  SUPERIOR.  It  is  here  that  we  find  the  Indian  tradition 
to  be  rife  with  the  name  of  Wabojeeg  and  his  wars,  and  his  cotemporaries. 
It  was  one  of  the  direct  consequences  of  so  remote  a  position,  that  it  with 
drew  his  attention  more  from  the  actual  conflicts  between  the  French  and 
English,  and  fixed  them  upon  his  western  and  southern  frontiers,  which 
were  menaced  and  invaded  by  the  numerous  bands  of  the  Dacotahs,  and 
by  the  perfidious  kinsmen  of  his  nation,  the  Outagamies  and  Saucs.  He 
came  into  active  life,  too,  as  a  prominent  war  leader,  at  the  precise  era 
when  the  Canadas  had  fallen  into  the  British  power,  and  by  engaging 
zealously  in  the  defence  of  the  borders  of  his  nation  west,  he  allowed  time 
to  mitigate  and  adjust  those  feelings  and  attachments  which,  so  far  as  pub 
lic  policy  was  concerned,  must  be  considered  to  have  moulded  the  Indian 
mind  to  a  compliance  with,  and  a  submission  to,  the  British  authority. 
Wabojeeg  was,  emphatically,  the  defender  of  the  Chippewa  domain  against 
the  efforts  of  other  branches  of  the  Red  Race.  He  did  not,  therefore,  lead 
his  people  to  fight,  as  his  father,  Ma-mongazida,  and  nearly  all  the  great 
Indian  war  captains  had,  to  enable  one  type  of  the  foreign  race  to  triumph 
over  another,  but  raised  his  parties  and  led  them  forth  to  maintain  his  tribal 
supremacy.  He  may  be  contemplated,  therefore,  as  having  had  a  more 
patriotic  object  for  his  achievement. 

Lake  Superior,  at  the  time  of  our  earliest  acquaintance  with  the  region, 
was  occupied,  as  it  is  at  this  day,  by  the  Chippewa  race.  The  chief  seat 


136  WABOJEEG,    OR   THE    WHITE    FISHER. 

of  their  power  appeared  to  be  near  the  southwestern  extremity  of  the  lake, 
at  Chagoimegon,  where  fathers  Marquette  and  Alloez  found  their  way, 
and  established  a  mission,  so  early  as  1668.  Another  of  their  principal, 
and  probably  more  ancient  seats,  was  at  the  great  rapids  on  the  outlet  of 
that  lake,  which  they  named  the  Sault  de  Ste.  Marie.  It  was  in  allusion 
to  their  residence  here  that  they  called  this  tribe  Saulteur,  that  is  to  say 
people  of  the  leap  or  rapid. 

Indian  tradition  makes  the  Chippewas  one  of  the  chief,  certainly  by  far. 
the  most  numerous  and  widely  spread^  of  the  Algonquin  stock  proper.  It 
represents  them  to  have  migrated  from  the  east  to  the  west.  On  reaching 
the  vicinity  of  Michilimackinac,  they  separated  at  a  comparatively  mo 
derate  era  into  three  tribes,  calling  themselves,  respectively,  Odjibwas, 
Odawas,  and  Podawadumees.  What  their  name  was  before  this  era,  is 
not  known.  It  is  manifest  that  the  term  Odjibwa  is  not  a  very  ancient  one, 
for  it  does  not  occur  in  the  earliest  authors.  They  were  probably  of  the 
Nipercinean  or  true  Algonquin  stock,  and  had  taken  the  route  of  the  Utawas 
river,  from  the  St.  Lawrence  valley  into  lake  Huron.  The  term  itself  is 
clearly  from  Bwa,  a  voice ;  and  its  prefix  in  Odji,  was  probably  designed 
to  mark  a  peculiar  intonation  which  the  muscles  are,  as  it  were,  gathered 
up,  to  denote. 

Whatever  be  the  facts  of  their  origin,  they  had  taken  the  route  up  the 
straits  of  St.  Mary  into  lake  Superior,  both  sides  of  which,  and  far  beyond, 
they  occupied  at  the  era  of  the  French  discovery.  It  is  evident  that  their 
course  in  this  direction  must  have  been  aggressive.  They  were  advanc 
ing  towards  the  west  and  northwest.  The  tribe  known  as  Kenistenos, 
had  passed  through  the  Lake  of  the  Woods,  through  the  great  lake  Nipe- 
sing,  and  as  far  as  the  heads  of  the  Saskatchewine  and  the  portage  of  the 
Missinipi  of  Hudson's  bay.  The  warlike  band  of  Leech  Lake,  called 
Mukundvvas,  had  spread  themselves  over  the  entire  sources  of  the  Missis 
sippi  and  extended  their  hunting  excursions  west  to  Red  River,  where  thoy 
came  into  contact  with  the  Assinaboines,  or  Stone  Sioux.  The  central 
power,  at  this  era,  still  remained  at  Chagoimegon,  on  Superior,  where  in 
deed,  the  force  of  early  tradition  asserts  there  was  maintained  something 
like  a  frame  of  both  civil  and  ecclesiastical  polity  and  government. 

It  is  said  in  the  traditions  related  to  me  by  the  Chippewas,  that  the  Ou- 
tagarnies,  or  Foxes,  had  preceded  them  into  that  particular  section  of  coun 
try  which  extends  in  a  general  course  from  the  head  of  Fox  River,  of  Green 
Bay,  towards  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  reaching  in  some  points  well  nigh 
to  the  borders  of  lake  Superior.  They  are  remembered  to  have  occupied 
the  interior  wild  rice  lakes,  which  lie  at  the  sources  of  the  Wisconsin,  the 
Ontonagon,  the  Chippevva,  and  the  St.  Croix  rivers.  They  were  associated 
with  the' Sa ucs,  who  had  ascended  the  Mississippi  some  distance  above  the 
Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  where  they  lived  on  friendly  terms  with  the  Dacotahs 
or  Sioux.  This  friendship  extended  also  to  the  Outagamies,  and  it  was 


m  WABOJEEG,    OR   THE    WHITE    FISHER.  137 

the  means  of  preserving  a  good  understanding  between  the  Dacotahs  and 
Chippewas. 

The  Fox  tribe  is  closely  affiliated  with  the  Chippewas.  They  call 
each  other  brothers.  They  are  of  the  same  general  origin  and  speak  the 
same  general  language,  the  chief  difference  in  sound  being  that  the  Foxes 
use  the  letter  13  where  the  Odjibwas  employ  an  n.  The  particular  cause  of 
their  disagreement  is  not  known.  They  are  said  by  the  Chippewas  to 
have  been  unfaithful  and  treacherous.  Individual  quarrels  and  trespasses 
on  their  hunting  grounds  led  to  murders,  and  in  the  end  to  a  war,  in  which 
the  Menomonees  and  the  French  united,  and  they  were  thus  driven  from 
the  rice  lakes  and  away  from  the  Fox  and  upper  Wisconsin.  To  main 
tain  their  position  they  formed  an  alliance  with  the  Sioux,  and  fought  by 
their  side. 

It  was  in  this  contest  that  Wabojeeg  first  distinguished  himself,  and  vin 
dicated  by  his  bravery  and  address  the  former  reputation  of  his  family, 
and  kid  anew  the  foundations  of  his  northern  chieftaindom.  Having 
heard  allusions  made  to  this  person  on  my  first  entrance  into  that  region, 
many  years  ago,  I  made  particular  enquiries,  and  found  living  a  sister, 
an  old  white-headed  woman,  and  a  son  and  daughter,  about  the  age  of 
middle  life.  From  these  sources  I  gleaned  the  following  facts.  He  was 
born,  as  nearly  as  I  could  compute  the  time,  about  1747.  By  a  singular 
and  romantic  incident  his  father,  Ma-mongazida,  was  a  half-brother  of  the 
father  of  Wabashaw,  a  celebrated  Sioux  chief,  who  but  a  few  years  ago 
died  at  his  village  on  the  upper  Mississippi.  The  connexion  happened  in 
this  way. 

While  the  Sioux  and  Chippewas  were  living  in  amity  near  each  other, 
and  frequently  met  and  feasted  each  other  on  their  hunting  grounds  and 
at  their  villages,  a  Sioux  chief,  of  distinction,  admired  and  married  a  Chip- 
pewa  girl,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons.  When  the  war  between  these  two 
nations  broke  out,  those  persons  of  the  hostile  tribes  who  had  married 
Chippewa  wives,  and  were  living  in  the  Chippewa  country,  withdrew, 
some  taking  their  wives  along  and  others  separating  from  them.  Among 
the  latter  wras  the  Sioux  chief.  He  remained  a  short  time  after  hostilities 
commenced,  but  finding  his  position  demanded  it,  he  was  compelled,  with 
great  reluctance,  to  leave  his  wife  behind,  as  she  could  not,  with  safety, 
have  accompanied  him  into  the  Sioux  territories.  As  the  blood  of  the 
Sioux  flowed  in  the  veins  of  her  two  sons,  neither  was  it  safe  for  her  to 
leave  them  among  the  Chippewas.  They  were,  however,  by  mutual 
agreement,  allowed  to  return  with  the  father.  The  eldest  of  these  sons 
became  the  father  of  Wabashaw. 

The  mother  thus  divorced  by  the  mutual  consent  of  all  parties,  re 
mained  inconsolable  for  some  time.  She  was  still  young  and  handsome, 
and  after  a  few  years,  became  the  wife  of  a  young  Chippewa  chief  of 
Chagoimegon,  of  the  honoured  totem  of  the  ADDICK  or  reindeer.  Her 


138  WABOJEEG,    OR    THE    WHITE    FISHER.  • 

first  child  by  this  second  marriage,  was  Ma  Mongazida,  the  fathei  of 
Wabojeeg.  In  this  manner,  a  connexion  existed  between  two  families, 
of  separate  hostile  nations,  each  of  which  distinguished  itself,  for  bravery 
and  skill  in  war  and  council.  It  has  already  been  stated  that  Ma  Monga 
zida,  was  present,  on  the  side  of  the  French,  in  the  great  action  in  which 
both  Montcalm  and  Wolf  fell,  and  he  continued  to  exercise  the  chieftain- 
snip  till  his  death,  when  his  second  son  succeeded  him. 

It  was  one  of  the  consequences  of  the  hostility  of  the  Indians  to  the 
English  rule,  that  many  of  the  remote  tribes  were  left,  for  a  time,  without 
traders  to  supply  their  wants.  This  was  the  case,  tradition  asserts,  with 
Chagoimegon,  which,  for  two  years  after  the  taking  of  old  Mackinac,  was 
left  without  a  trader.  To  remonstrate  against  this,  Ma  Mongazida  visited 
Sir  William  Johnson,  the  superintendant  general  of  Indian  affairs,  by 
whom  he  was  well  received,  and  presented  with  a  broad  wampum  belt  and 
gorget.  This  act  laid  the  foundation  of  a  lasting  peace  between  the  Chip- 
pewas  and  the  English.  The  belt,  it  is  added,  was  of  blue  wampum, 
with  figures  of  white.  And  when  Wabojeeg  came  to  the  chieftainship,  he 
took  from  it  the  wampum  employed  by  him  to  muster  his  waiparties. 

In  making  traditionary  enquiries  I  have  found  that  the  Indian  narra 
tors  were  careful  to  preserve  and  note  any  fact,  in  the  early  lives  of  their 
distinguished  men,  which  appeared  to  prefigure  their  future  eminence,  or 
had  any  thing  of  the  wonderful  or  premonitory,  in  its  character.  The 
following  incident  of  this  sort,  was  noticed  respecting  this  chief.  Ma 
Mongazida  generally  went  to  make  his  fall  hunts  on  the  middle  grounds 
towards  the  Sioux  territory,  taking  with  him  all  his  near  relatives,  amount 
ing  usually  to  twenty  persons,  exclusive  of  children.  Early  one  morning 
while  the  young  men  were  preparing  for  the  chase,  they  were  startled  by 
the  report  of  several  shots,  directed  towards  the  lodge.  As  they  had 
thought  themselves  in  security,  the  first  emotion  was  surprise,  and  they 
had  scarcely  time  to  fly  to  their  arms,  when  another  volley  was  fired, 
which  wounded  one  man  in  the  thigh,  and  killed  a  dog.  Ma  Mongazida 
immediately  sallied  out  with  his  young  men,  and  pronouncing  his  name 
aloud  in  the  Sioux  language,  demanded  if  Wabasha  or  his  brother,  were 
among  the  assailants.  The  firing  instantly  ceased — a  pause  ensued,  when 
a  tall  figure,  in  a  war  dress,  with  a  profusion  of  feathers  upon  his  head, 
stepped  forward  and  presented  his  hand.  It  was  the  elder  Wabasha,  his 
half  brother.  The  Sioux  peaceably  followed  their  leader  into  the  lodge, 
upon  which  they  had,  the  moment  before,  directed  their  shots.  At  the  in 
stant  the  Sioux  chief  entered,  it  was  necessary  to  stoop  a  little,  in  passing 
the  door.  In  the  act  of  stooping,  he  received  a  blow  from  a  war- 
club  wielded  by  a  small  boy,  who  had  posted  himself  there  for  the  pur 
pose.  It  was  the  young  Wabojeeg.  Wabasha,  pleased  with  this  early 
indication  of  courage,  took  the  little  lad  in  his  arms,  caressed  him,  and 


WABOJEEG,    OR    THE    WHITE    FISHER.  139 

pronounced  that  he  would  become  a  brave  mam,  and  prove  an  inveterate 
enemy  of  the  Sioux. 

The  border  warfare  in  which  the  father  of  the  infant  warrior  was  con 
stantly  engaged,  early  initiated  him  in  the  arts  and  ceremonies  pertaining 
to  war.  With  the  eager  interest  and  love  of  novelty  of  the  young,  he  lis 
tened  to  their  war  songs  and  war  stories,  and  longed  for  the  time  when 
he  would  be  old  enough  to  join  these  parties,  and  also  make  himself  a 
name  among  warriors.  While  quite  a  youth  he  volunteered  to  go  out 
with  a  party,  and  soon  gave  convincing  proofs  of  his  courage.  He  also 
early  learned  the  arts  of  hunting  the  deer,  the  bear,  the  moose,  and  all  the 
smaller  animals  common  to  the  country ;  and  in  these  pursuits,  he  took 
the  ordinary  lessons  of  Indian  young  men,  in  abstinence,  suffering,  dan 
ger  and  endurance  of  fatigue.  In  this  manner  his  nerves  were  knit  and 
formed  for  activity,  and  his  mind  stored  with  those  lessons  of  caution 
which  are  the  result  of  local  experience  in  the  forest.  He  possessed  a  tall 
and  commanding  person,  with  a  full  black  piercing  eye,  and  the  usual 
features  of  his  countrymen.  He  had  a  clear  and  full  toned  voice,  and 
spoke  his  native  language  with  grace  and  fluency.  To  these  attractions, 
he  united  an  early  reputation  for  bravery  and  skill  in  the  chase,  and  at 
the  age  of  twenty-two,  he  was  already  a  war  leader. 

Expeditions  of  one  Indian  tribe  against  another,  require  the  utmost 
caution,  skill,  and  secrecy.  There  are  a  hundred  things  to  give  informa 
tion  to  such  a  party,  or  influence  its  action,  which  are  unknown  to  civilized 
nations.  The  breaking  of  a  twig,  the  slightest  impression  of  a  foot  print, 
and  other  like  circumstances,  determine  a  halt,  a  retreat,  or  an  advance. 
The  most  scrupulous  attention  is  also  paid  to  the  signs  of  the  heavens,  the 
flight  of  birds,  and  above  ail,  to  the  dreams  and  predictions  of  the  jossakeed, 
priest,  or  prophet,  who  accompanies  them,  and  who  is  entrusted  with  the 
sacred  sack.  The  theory  upon  which  all  these  parties  are  conducted,  is 
secrecy  and  stratagem :  to  steal  upon  the  enemy  unawares ;  to  lay  in  am 
bush,  or  decoy ;  to  kill  and  to  avoid  as  much  as  possible  the  hazard  of 
being  killed.  An  intimate  geographical  knowledge  of  the  country,  is  also 
required  by  a  successful  war  leader,  and  such  a  man  piques  himself,  not 
only  on  knowing  every  prominent  stream,  hill,  valley,  wood,  or  rock,  but 
the  particular  productions,  animal,  and  vegetable,  of  the  scene  of  opera 
tions.  When  it  is  considered  that  this  species  of  knowledge,  shrewdness 
and  sagacity,  is  possessed  on  both  sides,  and  that  the  nations  at  war  watch 
each  other,  as  a  lynx  for  its  prey,  it  may  be  conceived,  that  many  of  these 
border  war  parties  are  either  light  skirmishes,  sudden  on-rushes,  or  utter 
failures.  It  is  seldom  that  a  close,  well  contested,  long  continued  hard 
battle  is  fought.  To  kill  a  few  men,  tear  off  their  scalps  in  haste,  and 
retreat  with  these  trophies,  is  a  brave  and  honourable  trait  with  them,  and 
may  be  boasted  of,  in  their  triumphal  dances  and  warlike  festivities. 

To  glean  the  details  of  these  movements,  would  be  to  acquire  the 


140  WABOJEEG,    OR    THE    WH1  TE    FISHER. 

modern  history  of  the  tribe,  which  induced  me  to  direct  my  enquiries  to 
the  subject ;  but  the  lapse  of  even  forty  or  fifty  years,  had  shorn  tradition 
of  most  of  these  details,  and  often  left  the  memory  of  results  only.  The 
Chippevvas  told  me,  that  this  chief  had  led  them  seven  times  to  successful 
battle  against  the  Sioux  and  the  Outagamies,  and  that  he  had  been 
wounded  thrice — once  in  the  thigh,  once  in  the  right  shoulder,  and  a 
third  time  in  the  side  and  breast,  being  a  glancing  shot.  His  war  parties 
consisted  either  of  volunteers  who  had  joined  his  standard  at  the  war 
dance,  or  of  auxiliaries,  who  had  accepted  his  messages  of  wampum  and 
tobacco,  and  come  forward  in  a  body,  to  the  appointed  place  of  rendezvous. 
These  par  ties*  varied  greatly  in  number  ;  his  first  party  consisted  of  but 
forty  men,  his  greatest  and  most  renowned,  of  three  hundred,  who  were 
mustered  from  the  villages  on  the  shores  of  the  lake,  as  far  east  as  St. 
Mary's  falls. 

It  is  to  the  incidents  of  this  last  expedition,  which  had  an  important  in 
fluence  on  the  progress  of  the  war,  that  we  may  devote  a  few  moments. 
The  place  of  rendezvous  was  La  Pointe.  Chagomiegon,  or  as  it  is  called 
in  modern  days,  La  Pointe  of  Lake  Superior.  The  scene  of  the  conflict, 
which  was  a  long  and  bloody  one,  was  the  falls  of  the  St.  Croix.  The 
two  places  are  distant  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  by  the  most  di 
rect  route.  This  area  embraces  the  summit  land  between  Lake  Superior 
and  the  upper  Mississippi.  The  streams  flowing  each  way  interlock, 
which  enables  the  natives  to  ascend  them  in  their  light  canoes,  and  after 
carrying  the  latter  over  the  portages,  to  descend  on  the  opposite  side.  On 
this  occasion  Wabojeeg  and  his  partizan  army,  ascended  the  Muskigo,  or 
Mauvais  river,  to  its  connecting  portage  with  the  Namakagon  branch  of  the 
St.  Croix.  On  crossing  the  summit,  they  embarked  in  their  small  and 
light  war  canoes  on  their  descent  westward.  This  portion  of  the  route 
was  passed  with  the  utmost  caution.  They  were  now  rapidly  approach 
ing  the  enemy's  borders,  and  every  sign  was  regarded  with  deep  attention. 
They  were  seven  days  from  the  time  they  first  reached  the  waters  of  the 
St.  Croix,  until  they  found  the  enemy.  They  went  but  a  short  distance 
each  day,  and  encamped.  On  the  evening  of  the  seventh  day,  the  scouts 
discovered  a  large  body  of  Sioux  and  Outagamies  encamped  on  the  lower 
side  of  the  portage  of  the  great  falls  of  the  St.  Croix.  The  discovery  was 
a  surprise  on  both  sides.  The  advance  of  the  Chippewas  had  landed  at 
the  upper  end  of  the  portage,  intending  to  encamp  there.  The  Sioux 
and  their  allies  had  just  preceded  them,  from  the  lower  part  of  the  stream 
with  the  same  object.  The  Foxes  or  Outagamies  immediately  fired,  and 
a  battle  ensued.  It  is  a  spot  indeed,  from  which  a  retreat  either  way  is 
impracticable,  in  the  face  of  an  enemy.  It  is  a  mere  neck  of  rugged  rock. 
The  river  forces  a  passage  through  this  dark  and  solid  barrier.  It  is 
equally  rapid  and  dangerous  for  canoes  above  and  below.  It  cannot  be 
crossed  direct  After  the  firing  began  Wabojeeg  landed  and  brought  up 


WABOJEEG,    OR    THE    WHITE    FISHER.  141 

his  men.  He  directed  a  part  of  them  to  extend  themselves  in  the  wood 
around  the  small  neck,  or  peninsula,  of  the  portage,  whence  alone  escape 
was  possible.  Both  parties  fought  with  bravery ;  the  Foxes  with  despera 
tion.  But  they  were  outnumbered,  overpowered,  and  defeated.  Some 
attempted  to  descend  the  rapids,  and  were  lost.  A  few  only  escaped. 
But  the  Chippewas  paid  dearly  for  their  victory.  Wabojeeg  was  slightly 
wounded  in  the  breast :  his  brother  was  killed.  Many  brave  warriors  fell. 
It  was  a  most  sanguinary  scene.  The  tradition  of  this  battle  is  one  of  the 
most  prominent  and  wide  spread  of  the  events  of  their  modern  history. 
I  have  conversed  with  more  than  one  chief,  wh®  dated  his  first  military 
honours  in  youth,  to  this  scene.  It  put  an  end  to  their  feud  with  the 
Foxes,  who  retired  from  the  intermediate  rice  lakes,  and  fled  down  the 
Wisconsin.  It  raised  the  name  of  the  Chippewa  leader,  to  the  acme  of 
his  renown  among  his  people :  but  Wabojeeg,  as  humane  as  he  was 
brave,  grieved  over  the  loss  of  his  people  who  had  fallen  in  the  action. 
This  feeling  was  expressed  touchingly  and  characteristically,  in  a  war  song, 
which  he  uttered  after  this  victory  which  has  been  preserved  by  the 
late  Mr.  Johnston  of  St.  Mary's,  in  the  following  stanzas. 

On  that  day  when  our  heroes  lay  low — lay  low, 

On  that  day  when  our  heroes  lay  low, 
I  fought  by  their  side,  and  thought  ere  I  died, 

Just  vengeance  to  take  on  the  foe, 

Just  vengeance  to  take  on  the  foe.       * 

On  that  day,  when  our  chieftains  lay  dead — lay  dead, 

On  tha*  day  when  our  chieftains  lay  dead, 
I  fo^gnt  hand  to  hand,  at  the  head  of  my  baml. 

And  here,  on  my  breast,  have  1  bled, 

And  here,  on  my  breast,  have  I  bled. 

Our  chiefs  shall  return  no  more — no  more, 

Our  chiefs  shall  return  no  more, 
Nor  their  brothers  of  war,  who  can  show  scar  for  scar, 

Like  women  their  fates  shall  deplore — deplore, 

Like  women  their  fate  shall  deplore. 

Five  winters  in  hunting  we'll  spend — we'll  spend, 

Five  winters  in  hunting  we'll  spend, 
Till  our  youth,  grown  to  men,  we'll  to  war  lead  again, 

And  our  days,  like  our  fathers,  we'll  end, 

And  our  days,  like  our  fathers,  we'll  end. 

It   is  the   custom   of   these  tribes  to  go  to   war   in  the  spring  and 
summer,  which  are,  not  o^y  comparatively  seasons  of  leisure  with  them. 


142  WABOJEEG,    OR   THE    WHITE    FISHER. 

but  it  is  at  these  seasons  that  they  are  concealed  and  protected  by  the 
foliage  of  the  forest,  and  can  approach  the  enemy  unseen.  At  these  annual 
returns  of  warmth  and  vegetation,  they  also  engage  in  festivities  and  dances, 
during  which  the  events  and  exploits  of  past  years  are  sang  and  recited : 
and  while  they  derive  fresh  courage  and  stimulus  to  renewed  exertions, 
the  young,  who  are  listeners,  learn  to  emulate  their  fathers,  and  take  their 
earliest  lessons  in  the  art  of  war.  Nothing  is  done  in  the  summer  months 
in  the  way  of  hunting.  The  small  furred  animals  are  changing  their 
pelt,  which  is  out  of  season.  The  doe  retires  with  her  fawns,  from  the 
plains  and  open  grounds,  into  thick  woods.  It  is  the  general  season  of 
reproduction,  and  the  red  man  for  a  time,  intermits  his  war  on  the 
animal  creation,  to  resume  it  against  man. 

As  the  autumn  approaches,  he  prepares  for  his  fall  hunts,  by  retiring 
from  the  outskirts  of  the  settlements,  and  from  the  open  lakes,  shores,  and 
streams,  which  have  been  the  scenes  of  his  summer  festivities ;  and  pro 
ceeds,  after  a  short  preparatory  hunt,  to  his  wintering  grounds.  This 
round  of  hunting,  and  of  festivity  and  war,  fills  up  the  year  ;  all  the  tribes 
conform  in  these  general  customs.  There  are  no  war  parties  raised  in 
the  winter.  This  season  is  exclusively  devoted  to  securing  the  means  of 
their  subsistence  and  clothing,  by  seeking  the  valuable  skins,  which  are 
to  purchase  their  clothing  and  their  ammunition,  traps  and  arms. 

The  hunting  grounds  of  the  chief,  whose  life  we  are  considering,  ex-, 
tended  along  the  southern  shores  of  Lake  Superior  from  the  Montreal 
River,  to  the  inlet  of  the  Misacoda,  or  Burntwood  River  of  Fond  du  Lac. 
If  he  ascended  the  one.  he  usually  made  the  wide  circuit  indicated,  and 
came  out  at  the  other.  He  often  penetrated  by  a  central  route  up  the 
Maskigo.  This  is  a  region  still  abounding,  but  less  so  than  formerly,  in  the 
bear,  moose,  beaver,  otter,  martin,  and  muskrat.  Among  the  smallei 
animals  are  also  to  be  noticed  the  mink,  lynx,  hare,  porcupine,  and  par 
tridge,  and  towards  its  southern  and  western  limits,  the  Virginia  deer.  In 
this  ample  area,  the  La  Pointe,  or  Chagoimegon  Indians  hunted.  It  is  a  rule 
of  the  chase,  that  each  hunter  has  a  portion  of  the  country  assigned  to  him, 
on  which  he  alone  may  hunt ;  and  there  are  conventional  laws  which  de 
cide  all  questions  of  right  and  priority  in  starting  and  killing-  game.  In 
these  questions,  the  chief  exercises  a  proper  authority,  and  it  is  thus  in  the 
power  of  one  of  these  forest  governors  and  magistrates,  where  they  happen 
to  be  men  of  sound  sense,  judgment  and  manly  independence,  to  make 
themselves  felt  and  known,  and  to  become  true  benefactors  to  their  tribes. 
And  such  chiefs  create  an  impression  upon  their  followers,  and  leave  a 
reputation  behind  them,  which  is  of  more  value  than  their  achievements 
in  war. 

Wabojeeg  excelled  in  both  characters ;  he  was  equally  popular  as  a 
civil  ruler  and  a  war  chief;  and  while  he  administered  justice  to  his  peo-  , 
pie,  he  was  an  expert  hunter,  and  made  due  and  ample  provision  for  his 


WABOJEEG,    OR    THE    WHITE    FISHER.  143 

family.  He  usually  gleaned,  in  a  season,  by  his  traps  and  carbine,  four 
packs  of  mixed  furs,  the  avails  of  which  were  ample  to  provide  clothing 
for  all  the  members  of  his  lodge  circle,  as  well  as  to  renew  his  supply  of 
ammunition  and  other  essential  articles. 

On  one  occasion,  he  had  a  singular  contest  with  a  moose.  He  had 
gone  out,  one  morning  early,  to  set  martin  traps.  He  had  set  about  forty, 
and  was  returning  to  his  lodge,  when  he  unexpectedly  encountered  a 
large  moose,  in  his  path,  which  manifested  a  disposition  to  attack  him. 
Being  unarmed,  and  having  nothing  but  a  knife  and  small  hatchet, 
which  he  had  carried  to  make  his  traps,  he  tried  to  avoid  it.  But  the  ani 
mal  came  towards  him  in  a  furious  manner.  He  took  shelter  behind  a 
tree,  shifting  his  position  from  tree  to  tree,  retreating.  At  length,  as  he 
fled,  he  picked  up  a  pole,  and  quickly  untying  his  moccasin  strings,  he 
bound  his  knife  to  the  end  of  the  pole.  He  then  placed  himself  in  a 
favourable  position,  behind  a  tree,  and  when  the  moose  came  up,  stabbed 
him  several  times  in  the  throat  and  breast.  At  last,  the  animal,  exhausted 
with  the  loss  of  blood,  fell.  He  then  dispatched  him,  and  cut  out  his 
tongue  to  carry  home  to  his  lodge  as  a  trophy  of  victory.  When  they 
went  back  to  the  spot,  for  the  carcass,  they  found  the  snow  trampled 
down  in  a  wide  circle,  and  copiously  sprinkled  with  blood,  which  gave  it 
the  appearance  of  a  battle-field.  It  proved  to  be  a  male  of  uncommon 
size. 

The  domestic  history  of  a  native  chief,  can  seldom  be  obtained.  In  the 
present  instance,  the  facts  that  follow,  may  be  regarded  with  interest,  as 
having  been  obtained  from  residents  of  Chagoimegoia,  or  from  his  descen 
dants.  He  did  not  take  a  wife  till  about  the  age  of  thirty,  and  he  then 
married  a  widow,  by  whom  he  had  one  son.  He  had  obtained  early 
notoriety  as  a  warrior,  which  perhaps  absorbed  his-  attention.  What 
causes  there  were  to  render  this  union  unsatisfactory,  or  whether  there 
were  any,  is  not  known ;  but  after  the  lapse  of  two  years,  he  mar 
ried  a  girl  of  fourteen,  of  the  totem  of  the  bear,  by  whom  he  had  a  family 
of  six  children.  He  is  represented  as  of  a  temper  and  manners  affec 
tionate  and  forbearing.  He  evinced  thoughtfulness  and  diligence  in  the 
management  of  his  affairs,  and  the  order  and  disposition  of  his  lodge. 
When  the  hunting  season  was  over,  he  employed  his  leisure  moments  in 
adding  to  the  comforts  of  his  lodge.  His  lodge  was  of  an  oblong  shape, 
ten  fathoms  long,  and  made  by  setting  two  rows  of  posts  firmly  in  the 
ground,  and  sheathing  the  sides  and  roof  with  the  smooth  bark  of  the 
birch.  From  the  centre  rose  a  post  crowned  with  the  carved  figure  of 
an  owl,  which  he  had  probably  selected  as  a  bird  of  good  omen,  for  it  was 
neither  his  own  nor  his  wife's  totem.  This  .  figure  was  so  placed, 
that  it  turned  with  the  wind,  and  answered  the  purpose  of  a  weather 
cock. 

In  person  Wabojeeg  was  tall,  being  six  feet  six  inches,  erect  in  carriage, 


144  WABOJEEGj    OR    THE    WHITE    FISHER. 

and  of  slender  make.  He  possessed  a  commanding  countenance,  united 
to  ease  and  dignity  of  manners.  He  was  a  ready  and  fluent  speaker, 
and  conducted  personally  the  negotiations  with  the  Fox  and  Sioux  nations. 
It  was  perhaps  twenty  years  after  the  battle  on  the  St.  Croix,  which  es 
tablished  the  Chippewa  boundary  in  that  quarter,  and  while  his  children 
were  still  young,  that  there  came  to  his  village,  in  the  capacity  of  a  trader, 
a  young  gentleman  of  a  respectable  family  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  who 
formed  an  exalted  notion  of  his  character,  bearing,  and  warlike  exploits. 
This  visit,  and  his  consequent  residence  on  the  lake,  during  the  winter, 
became  an  important  era  to  the  chief,  and  has  linked  his  name  and  me 
mory  with  numerous  persons  in  civilized  life.  Mr.  Johnston  asked  the 
northern  chief  for  his  youngest  daughter.  Englishman,  he  replied,  my 
daughter  is  yet  young,  and  you  cannot  take  her  as  white  men  have  too  often 
taken  our  daughters.  It  will  be  time  enough  to  think  of  complying  with 
your  request,  when  you  return  again  to  this  lake  in  the  summer.  My 
daughter  is  my  favourite  child,  and  I  cannot  part  with  her,  unless  you 
will  promise  to  acknowledge  her  by  such  ceremonies  as  white  men  use. 
You  must  ever  keep  her,  and  never  forsake  her.  On  this  basis  a  union 
was  formed,  a  union  it  may  be  said,  between  the  Erse  and  Algonquin 
races — and  it  was  faithfully  adhered  to,  till  his  death,  a  period  of  thirty- 
seven  years. 

Wabojeeg  had  impaired  his  health  in  the  numerous  war  parties  which 
he  conducted  across  the  wide  summit  which  separated  his  hunting  grounds 
from  the  Mississippi  valley.  A  slender  frame,  under  a  life  of  incessant 
exertion,  brought  on  a  premature  decay.  Consumption  revealed  itself  at 
a  comparatively  early  age,  and  he  fell  before  this  insidious  disease,  in  a 
few  years,  at  the  early  age  of  about  forty-five.  He  died  in  1793  at  his 
native  village  of  Chagoimegon. 

The  incident  which  has  been  named,  did  not  fail  to  make  the  forest 
chieftain  acquainted  with  the  leading  truth  of  Christianity,  in  the  revela 
tion  it  makes  of  a  saviour  for  all  races.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  a  truth 
which  was  brought  to  his  knowledge  and  explained.  It  is,  of  course,  not 
known  with  what  particular  effects.  As  he  saw  his  end  approaching,  he 
requested  that  his  body  might  not  be  buried  out  of  sight,  but  placed,  ac 
cording  to  a  custom  prevalent  in  the  remoter  bands  of  this  tribe,  on  a  form 
supported  by  posts,  or  a  scaffold.  This  trait  is,  perhaps,  natural  to  the 
hunter  state. 

My  friends  when  my  spirit  is  fled — is  fled 

My  friends  when  my  spirit  is  fled, 
Ah,  put  me  not  bound,  in  the  dark  and  cold  ground, 

Where  light  shall  no  longer  be  shed — be  shed, 

Where  day-light  no  more  shall  be  shed. 


WABOJEEG,    OR    THE    WHITE    FISHER  145 

But  lay  me  up  scaffolded  high — all  high, 

Chiefs  lay  me  up  scaffolded  high, 
Where  my  tribe  shall  still  say,  as  they  point  to  my  clay, 

He  ne'er  from  the  foe  sought  to  fly— to  fly, 

He  ne'er  from  the  foe  sought  to  fly. 

And  children,  who  play  on  the  shore — the  shore, 

And  children  who  play  on  the  shore, 
As  the  war  dance  they  beat,  my  name  shall  repeat, 

And  the  fate  of  their  chieftan  deplore — deplore, 

And  the  fate  of  their  chieftain  deplore. 


MODE    OF   WRITING   AN   INDIAN   LANGUAGE.. 

The  rules  of  utterance  of  these  tribes,  after  all  that  has  been  said  ana 
written  on  the  subject,  are  very  simple,  and  determine  the  orthography,  so 
far,  at  least,  as  relates  to  distinctions  for  the  long  and  short  vowels.  If,  in 
writing  Indian,  the  syllables  be  separated  by  hyphens,  there  need  be  no 
uncertainty  respecting  their  sounds,  and  we  shall  be  saved  a  world  of 
somewhat  over  nice  disquisition.  A  vowel  preceded  by  a  consonant,  is 
always  long,  a  vowel  followed  by  a  consonant  is  always  short.  A  vowel 
between  two  consonants,  is  short.  A  vowel  standing  by  itself  is  always 
full  or  long.  A  few  examples  of  well  known  words  will  denote  this. 

On  ta'  ri  o.  Wa  bash. 

Ni  ag'  ar  a,  Pe  6  ri  a. 

O  we'  go.  Ti  con  de  ro  ga. 

Ti  6  ga.  Mis  siss  ip  pi. 

Os  we  go.  O  nei  da. 

I'-o-wa.  Al  ab  a  ma 

Wis  con'  sin.  O  tis'  co. 

Chi  ca  go.  Or  e  gon. 

Write  the  words  by  whatever  system  of  orthography  you  will,  French, 
English,  or  German,  and  the  vowel  sounds  will  vindicate  this  distinction. 
If  diphthongs  have  been  used,  for  simple  vowels,  through  early  mistake  or 
redundancy,  the  rule  is  the  same.  If  they  appear  as  proper  diphthongs,  they 
follow  the  rule  of  diphthongs.  This  principal  of  utterance  appears  to  be  a 
general  and  fixed  law  in  the  Indian  languages  as  respects  the  sounds 
of  e,  i,  o,  u,  aud  the  two  chief  sounds  of  a,  1  and  3  of  Walker's  Key.  As 
the  letter  a  'jas  four  distinct  sounds,  as  in  English,  the  chief  discrepancies, 
seen  abov2,  will  appear  in  the  use  of  this  letter. 

10 


SKETCHES   OF  THE   LIVES  OP 

NOTED  RED  MEN  AID  ¥OMEN, 

WHO  HAYE  APPEARED  ON  THE  WESTERN  CONTINENT. 


BRANT,  EED  JACKET,  UNCAS,  MIONTONIMO. 

A  NOTICE  OF  THE  BIOGRAPHIES  OF  THE   LATE  COL.  WILLIAM  L.  STONE,  PREPARED  FOR  THJ 
DEMOCRATIC   REVIEW — 1843. 

THE  Egyptians  embalmed  their  dead  in  myrrh  and  spices,  but  the 
blessed  art  of  printing  has  given  us  a  surer  and  less  revolting  method  of 
preserving  and  transmitting  to  posterity,  all  that  is  truly  valuable  in  the 
plaudits  of  virtue,  worth,  and  honor.  Books  thus  become  a  more  perma 
nent  memorial  than  marble,  and  by  their  diffusion  scatter  those  lessons 
among  all  mankind,  which  the  age  of  mounds  and  hieroglyphics,  stone 
and  papyrus,  had  confined  to  the  tablet  of  a  shaft,  or  the  dark  recesses  of 
a  tomb  or  a  pyramid.  It  is  never  to  be  forgotten,  that  in  the  development 
of  this  new  phasis  in  the  history  of  the  human  race,  it  was  printing  that 
first  lit  the  lamp  of  truth,  and  has  driven  on  the  experiment,  till  the  boun 
daries  of  letters  have  well  nigh  become  co-extensive  with  the  world.  If 
we  do  not  widely  err,  there  is  no  part  of  the  globe,  where  books  of  all  de 
scriptions  have  become  so  cheap  and  abundant  as  they  are  at  this  time  in 
the  United  States,  and,  laying  aside  all  other  considerations,  we  may  find 
a  proof  of  the  position  stated  in  the  fact,  that  our  vernacular  literature  is  no 
longer  confined  to  the  production  of  school  books,  the  annals  of  law  and 
divinity,  the  age  of  muddy  pamphlets,  or  the  motley  pages  of  the  newspa 
per.  We  have  no  design  to  follow  up  these  suggestions  by  showing  how 
far  the  study  of  the  natural  sciences,  the  discussion  of  political  economy, 
or  the  advances  of  belles-lettres,  have  operated  to  produce  this  result ;  far 
less  to  identify  those  causes,  in  the  progress  of  western  arts  and  commerce, 
which  have  concurred  to  bring  down  the  price  of  books,  and  scatter  the 
blessings  of  an  untrammelled  press,  among  all  classes.  It  is  sufficient  for 
our  purpose  to  say  that  even  the  lives  of  our  distinguished  native  chieftains 
have  come  in  for  a  share  of  modern  notice,  and,  we  feel  proud  to  add,  of 
a  notice  which,  so  far  as  it  reaches,  is  worthy  of  the  subject.  And  should 
our  contributions  on  this  head,  for  the  last  few  years,  be  equally  well  fol 
lowed  up  for  a  few -years  to  come,  even  the  desponding  strains  of  one  of 

146 


INDIAN   RULERS.  147 

their  own  impersonated  heroes  can  no  longer  be  repeated  with  perfect 
truth: 

"  They  sink,  they  pass,  they  fly,  they  go, 

Like  a  vapor  at  morning's  dawn, 
Or  a  flash  of  light,  whose  sudden  glow 
Is  seen,  admired,  and  gone. 

"  They  died  ;  but  if  a  brave  man  bleeds, 

And  fills  the  dreamless  grave, 
Shall  none  repeat  his  name,  his  deeds, 
Nor  tell  that  he  was  brave  ?" 

To  no  one  in  our  literary  annals  is  the  public  so  much  indebted  for  res 
cuing  from  oblivion  the  traits  and  character  of  the  four  celebrated  chiefs 
whose  names  stand  at  the  head  of  this  article,  as  to  the  able  author  of  these 
biographies,  William  L.  Stone.  Gifted  with  a  keen  perception  of  the  ques 
tions  of  right  and  wrong,  which  turn  upon  the  planting  of  the  colonies 
among  barbarians,  who  more  than  idled  away  their  days  upon  a  soil 
which  they  did  not  cultivate — with  a  deep  sympathy  in  their  fate  and  for 
tunes,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  paramount  claims  of  letters  and  Christian 
ity  on  the  other,  he  has  set  himself  to  the  task  of  rendering  justice  to  whom 
justice  belongs,  with  the  ardor  of  a  philanthropist,  and  the  research  of  a 
"historian,  He  appears  to  have  planned  a  series  of  biographies  which,  if 
completed,  will  give  a  connected  view  of  the  leading  tribes  who  occupied 
New  York,  Connecticut,  Rhode  Island,  and  Massachusetts,  with  a  range 
in  the  examination  of  contemporary  men  and  collateral  topics,  which  em 
braces  a  wide  circle.  And  he  has  filled  up  the  outlines  of  his  plan,  thus 
far,  in  a  manner  which  leaves  but  little  to  glean  in  the  path  which  he  has 
trod.  If  the  extension  of  this  circle,  and  the  large  amount  of  contempo 
raneous  matter  brought  in,  has,  in  the  minds  of  some,  abstracted  too  large 
a  share  of  attention,  and  left  the  biographies  with  less  unity  and  compact 
ness  than  they  would  otherwise  have  assumed,  this  is  exclusively  the  fault 
of  their  plan,  so  far  as  it  is  acknowledged,  and  not  of  the  execution.  And 
for  this  course  of  extension  there  is  a  plea  to  be  found  in  the  nature  of  the 
subject,  in  the  treatment  of  which,  scantiness  of  material  was  often  sought 
to  be  supplied  by  the  introduction  of  collateral  and  sometimes  extraneous 
matter. 

We  propose  briefly  to  notice  the  series  of  these  biographies  in  their 
order  of  publication.  In  his  first  work  on  Brant,  he  has  presented,  in  liv 
ing  colors,  the  great  Mohawk  of  1776,  who  rose  up  to  crush  that  confed 
eracy  which  Washington  and  his  compeers  had  pledged  their  lives  to 
maintain.  Brant  was  a  man  of  power  and  capacities,  mental  and  physical 
beyond  his  tribe  ;  and  was  so  situated,  in  the  actual  contest,  as  to  throw  a 
greater  weight  into  the  scale  against  us,  than. any  other,  or  all  of  the  hos 
tile  chiefs  of  the  Red  Race  put  together.  If  he  could  not,  like  Ariel,  call 


148  INDIAN    RULERS. 

-. 

up  the  "spirits  of  the  vasty  deep,"  he  could,  at  his  bidding,  summon 
together  the  no  less  malignant  spirits  of  the  woods,  who  fell  upon  our 
sleeping  hamlets  with  the  fury  of  demons.  And  whether  at  Johnson  Hall 
or  Niagara,  at  Cherry  Valley  or  Schoharie,  on  the  waters  of  the  Oriskany 
or  the  Chemung,  he  was  the  ruling  and  informing  spirit  of  the  contest. 
Such  was  the  power  he  wielded  as  commander  of  a  most  effective  body 
of  light  troops  (for  such  are  all  Indian  warriors),  who  were  supported  by 
large  and  well  appointed  armies,  that,  like  the  electric  flashes  of  the  boding 
storm,  he  preceded  the  heavier  outbreak  by  sounding  aloud  the  wild  notes 
of  terror  and  dismay.  It  was  in  this  manner  that  his  name  became 
a  talisman  on  the  frontiers,  to  conjure  up  deeds  of  evil,  and  in  this  way 
also,  doubtless,  it  became  loaded  with  reproaches,  some  of  which,  as  the 
author  has  denoted,  were  due  to  other  actors  in  the  contest.  It  is  difficult, 
however,  to  disturb  the  judgments  of  a  preceding  age,  on  the  character  of 
individuals  who  have  long  passed  off  the  stage  of  action,  whether  those 
judgments  be  favorable  or  unfavorable  ;  and  it  is,  in  fact,  impossible  to  re 
verse  them.  It  is  only  necessary  to  glace  backward  a  short  way,  on  the 
track  of  biography,  to  perceive  that  posterity  never  revises  the  opinions 
once  put  on  individual  character,  heroic  or  literary.  It  tries  to  forget  all 
it  can,  and  every  body  it  can,  and  never  remembers  a  long  time  any  name 
which  it  is  possible  to  forget.  It  is  willing,  we  should  infer,  to  concede 
something  to  the  great  men  among  barbarian  nations,  whose  names  have 
often  burst  upon  civilized  society  with  the  fearful  attractions  of  the  meteor, 
or  the  comet,  producing  admiration  in  the  beholders,  without  stopping  to 
inquire  the  true  cause.  Such  were  the  Tamerlanes,  and  the  Tippoo  Saibs 
of  the  eastern  world,  of  a  prior  age,  as  well  as  the  Mehemet  Alis  and 
Abdel  Kaders  of  the  present.  And  such  were,  also,  with  reduced  means 
of  action,  numbers  of  the  American  aboriginal  chiefs,  who,  between  the 
days  of  Manco  Capac  and  Micanopy  have  figured  in  the  history  of  the 
western  world.  Most  of  these  men  owe  their  celebrity  to  the  mere  fact  of 
their  having  dazzled  or  astounded,  or  like  Brant  himself,  excited  the  terror 
of  those  who  opposed  them.  In  the  case  of  the  latter,  a  change  of  opin 
ion  in  those  particular  traits  which  affect  his  humanity,  is  less  readily 
made,  from  the  fact,  yet  generally  remembered,  that  he  had  received 
a  Christian  education  ;  that  he  was,  while  a  mere  boy,  received  into  the 
best  society,  acquired  the  English  language,  and  had  been  instructed,  first 
at  a  New  England  academy,  and  afterwards  at  one  of  its  most  practically 
efficient  colleges.  Posterity  holds  the  Mohawk  chief  responsible  to  have 
carried  the  precepts  thus  obtained  into  the  forest,  and  to  have  diffused  their 
blessings  among  those  who  had  perhaps  his  bravery,  without  his  talents 
or  his  knowledge.  Those  who  fought  against  him  were  ill  qualified,  we 
confess,  to  be  his  judges.  He  had  not  only  espoused  the  wrong  cause, 
wrong  because  it  was  adverse  to  the  progress  of  national  freedom  and 
those  very  principles  his  people  contended  for ;  but  he  battled  for  it  with  a 


INDIAN    RULERS.  149 

master's  hand,  and  made  the  force  of  his  energy  felt,  as  the  author  has 
more  fully  indicated  than  was  before  known,  from  the  hanks  of  the  Mo 
hawk  and  the  Niagara,  to  the  Ohio,  the  Miami,  and  the  Wabash.  Yet, 
if  there  was  error  in  the  extent  to  which  he  failed  to  carry  the  precepts  of  civ 
ilization  and  Christianity,  it  was  meet  it  should  be  pointed  out,  although  it 
will  also  be  admitted,  the  public  have  a  right  to  look  for  the  strongest  of  these 
proofs  of  a  kind  and  benevolent  feeling  towards  his  open  enemies,  out  of 
the  range  of  his  domestic  circle.  His  family  had  carried  the  incipient 
principles  of  civilization,  which  he  gave  them,  too  high — they  had  exhib 
ited  to  the  next  age,  a  too  prominent  example  of  cultivation  and  refinement 
in  every  sense — not  to  feel  deeply  the  obloquy  cast  upon  his  name,  by  the 
poetic  spirit  of  the  times  ;  and  not  to  wish  that  one  who  had,  in  verity,  so 
many  high  and  noble  qualities,  both  in  the  council  and  the  field,  should 
also  be  without  a  spot  on  his  humanity.  We  deem  the  feeling  as  honor 
able  to  all  who  have  the  blood  of  the  chieftain  in  their  veins  as  it  is  praise 
worthy  in  his  biographer.  We  cannot,  however,  consent  to  forget,  that 
historical  truth  is  very  severe  in  its  requisitions,  and  is  not  to  be  put  off,  by 
friend  or  foe,  with  hearsay  testimony,  or  plausible  surmises. 

Brant  cannot,  like  Xicotencal,  be  accused  of  having  joined  the  invaders 
of  his  country,  who  were  recklessly  resolved  upon  its  subjugation  ;  but  he 
overlooked  the  fact,  that  both  the  invader  and  the  invaded  in  the  long  and 
bloody  border  warfare  of  the  revolution,  were,  in  all  that  constitutes  charac 
ter,  the  same  people.  They  were  of  the  same  blood  and  lineage,  spoke 
the  same  language,  had  the  same  laws  and  customs,  and  the  same  litera 
ture  and  religion,  and  he  failed  to  see  that  the  only  real  point  of  difference 
between  them  was,  who  should  wield  the  sceptre.  Whichever  party 
gained  the  day  in  such  a  contest,  letters  and  Christianity  must  triumph, 
and  as  the  inevitable  result,  barbarism  must  decline,  and  the  power  of  the 
Indian  nation  fall. 

In  Brant,  barbarism  and  civilization  evinced  a  strong  and  singular  con 
test.  He  was  at  one  moment  a  savage,  and  at  another  a  civilian,  at  one 
moment  cruel,  and  at  another  humane ;  and  he  exhibited,  throughout  all 
the  heroic  period  of  his  career,  a  constant  vacillation  and  struggle  between 
good  and  bad,  noble  and  ignoble  feelings,  and,  as  one  or  the  other  got  the 
mastery,  he  was  an  angel  of  mercy,  or  a  demon  of  destruction.  In  this  re 
spect,  his  character  does  not  essentially  vary  from  that  which  has  been 
found  to  mark  the  other  leading  red  men  who,  from  Philip  to  Osceola, 
have  appeared  on  the  stage  of  action.  Like  them,  his  reasoning  faculties 
were  far  less  developed  than  his  physical  perceptions.  And  to  attempt  to 
follow  or  find  anything  like  a  fixed  principle  of  humanity,  basing  itself  on 
the  higher  obligations  that  sway  the  human  breast,  would,  we  fear,  be 
come  a  search  after  that  which  had  no  existence  in  his  mind ;  or  if  the 
germ  was  there,  it  was  too  feeble  te  become  predominant.  We  do  not 
think  it  necessary,  in  commenting  on  his  life,  to  enter  into  any  nice 


150  INDIAN    RULERS. 

train  of  reasoning  or  motives  to  account  for  this  characteristic,  or  to  recon 
cile  cruelties  of  the  most  shocking  kind,  when  contrasted  with  traits 
of  mildness  and  urbanity.  They  were  different  moods  of  the  man,  and 
in  running  back  over  the  eventful  years  of  his  life,  it  becomes  clear,  that 
civilization  had  never  so  completely  gained  the  mastery  over  his  mind  and 
heart,  as  not  to  desert  him,  without  notice,  the  moment  he  heard  the  sound 
of  the  war-whoop.  The  fact  that  he  could  use  the  pen,  supplied  no  in 
superable  motive  against  his  wielding  the  war  club.  His  tomahawk  and 
his  Testament  lay  on  the  same  shelf.  The  worst  trait  in  his  character  is 
revealed  in  his  tardiness  to  execute  acts  of  purposed  mercy.  There  was 
too  often  some  impediment,  which  served  as  an  excuse,  as  when  he  had 
a  ploughed  field  to  cross  to  save  Wells  and  his  family,  or  a  lame  heel,  or 
gave  up  the  design  altogether,  as  in  the  case  of  Wisner,  whom  he  con 
strued  it  into  an  act  of  mercy  to  tomahawk. 

That  he  was,  however,  a  man  of  an  extraordinary  firmness,  courage 
and  decision  of  character,  is  without  doubt.  But  his  fate  and  fortunes 
have  not  been  such  as  to  give  much  encouragement  to  chiefs  of  the  native 
race  in  lending  their  influence  to  European,  or  Anglo-European  powers, 
who  may  be  engaged  in  hostilities  against  each  other  on  this  continent. 
Pontiac  had  realized  this  before  him,  and  Tecumtha  realized  it  after  him. 
Neither  attained  the  object  he  sought.  One  of  these  chiefs  was  assassi 
nated,  the  other  fell  in  battle,  and  Brant  himself  only  survived  the  defeat 
of  his  cause,  to  fret  out  his  latter  days  in  vain  attempts  to  obtain  justice 
from  the  power  which  he  had  most  loyally  served,  and  greatly  benefited. 
Had  he  been  knighted  at  the  close  of  the  contest,  instead  of  being  shuffled 
from  one  great  man  to  another,  at  home  and  abroad,  it  would  have  been 
an  instance  of  a  noble  exercise  of  that  power.  But  George  III.  seemed 
to  have  been  fated,  at  all  points,  neither  to  do  justice  to  his  friends  nor  his 
enemies. 

Such  was  Brant,  or  Thayendanegea,  symbolically,  the  Band  of  his 
tribe,*  to  whose  lot  it  has  fallen  to  act  a  more  distinguished  part  in  the 
Colonies,  as  a  consummate  warrior,  than  any  other  aboriginal  chieftain 
who  has  arisen.  And  his  memory  was  well  worthy  of  the  elaborate  work 
in  which  his  biographer  has  presented  him,  in  the  most  favourable  points 
of  view,  amidst  a  comprehensive  history  of  the  border  wars  of  the  revolu 
tion,  without,  however,  concealing  atrocities  of  which  he  was,  perhaps 
sometimes  unwillingly,  the  agent. 

A  word,  and  but  a  word,  will  be  added,  as  to  some  points  connected 
with  this  chiefs  character,  which  are  not  in  coincidence  with  the  generally 
received  opinion,  or  are  now  first  introduced  by  way  of  palliation,  or  vin 
dication.  We  confess,  that  so  far  as  the  presence  or  absence  of  the  Great 
Mohawk  in  the  massacre  of  Wyoming,  is  concerned,  the  statements  are 

*  The  name  is  usually  translated,  two-sticks  tied,  or  united. 


INDIAN    RULERS.  J51 

either  inconclusive,  or  less  satisfactory  than  could  be  wished.  There  was 
quite  too  much  feeling  sometimes  evinced  by  his  family,  and  particularly 
his  son  John,  to  permit  us  to  receive  the  new  version  of  the  statement  with 
out  some  grains  of  allowance.  An  investigation  is  instituted  by  Col.  Stone 
as  to  the  immediate  ancestry  of  Brant,  and  much  importance  is  attached 
to  the  inquiry,  whether  he  was  descended  from  a  line  of  hereditary  chiefs. 
We  think  the  testimony  adverse  to  such  a  supposition,  and  it  affords  no 
unequivocal  proof  of  talents,  that  notwithstanding  such  an  adventitious 
circumstance,  certainly  without  being  of  the  line  of  ruling  chiefs,  he  ele 
vated  himself  to  be,  not  only  the  head  chief  and  leader  of  his  tribe,  but  of 
the  Six  Nations.  Courtesy  and  popular  will  attach  the  title  of  chief  or 
sachem  to  men  of  talents,  courage  or  eloquence  among  our  tribes  gene 
rally  ;  and  while  mere  descent  would  devolve  it  upon  a  chief's  son,  what 
ever  might  be  his  character,  yet  this  fact  alone  would  be  of  little  import, 
and  give  him  little  influence,  without  abilities :  whereas  abilities  alone  are 
found  to  raise  men  of  note  to  the  chieftainship,  among  all  the  North 
American  tribes,  whose  customs  and  character  are  known. 

It  has  constituted  no  part  of  our  object,  in  these  general  outlines,  to  ex 
amine  minor  points  of  the  biography  or  history,  upon  which  the  information 
or  the  conclusions  are  not  so  satisfactory  as  could  be  wished,  or  which  may, 
indeed,  be  at  variance  with  our  opinions.  One  fact,  however,  connected 
with  this  name,  it  is  not  deemed  proper  to  pass  sub  silentio.  Brant  is 
made  to  take  a  part  in  the  Pontiac  War,  a  contest  arising  on  the  fall  of  the 
French  power  in  Canada  in  1759,  and  which  closed  in  1763.  Brant 
was  at  its  close  but  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  had  not,  it  is  probable, 
finally  returned  from  his  New  England  tutors.  At  any  rate,  there  is  no 
reason  to  suppose,  that,  at  that  early  period  of  his  life  and  his  influence, 
he  could  have  had  any  participation  in  the  events  of  that  war. 

In  the  life  of  Red  Jacket,  or  Sagoyewata,  we  have  a  different  order  of  In 
dian  intellect  brought  to  view.  He  was  an  orator  and  a  diplomatist,  and  was 
at  no  period  of  his  life  noted  for  his  skill  as  a  warrior.  Nay,  there  are 
indubitable  proofs  that  his  personal  courage  could  not  always  be  "  screwed 
up  to  the  sticking  point."  But  in  native  intellect,  he  was  even  superior 
to  Brant.  He  was,  indeed,  the  Brant  of  the  council,  and  often  came  down 
upon  his  opponents  with  bursts  of  eloquence,  trains  of  argument,  or  rhap 
sodies  of  thought,  which  were  irresistible.  And  of  him,  it  may  be  sym 
bolically  said,  that  his  tongue  was  his  tomahawk,  and  the  grandiloquent 
vocabulary  of  the  Seneca  language,  his  war-club.  Nor  has  any  native 
chieftain  wielded  the  weapon  to  more  purpose,  or  with  a  longer  continued 
effect  than  the  great  Seneca  orator.  The  specimens  of  his  eloquence 
which  have  appeared  in  our  newspapers  for  forty  years  or  more,  are  still 
fresh  in  the  memory,  and  it  was  due  and  meet  that  these  should  be  col 
lected  and  preserved  in  a  permanent  shape,  together  with  such  particulars 
of  his  life  and  career  as  could  be  obtained.  This  task  has  been  performed 


152  INDIAN   RULERS. 

by  Col.  Stone,  in  a  manner  which  leaves  nothing  more  to  be  attempted  on 
the  subject.  Much  zeal  and  industry  have  been  evinced  in  eliciting  facts 
from  every  quarter  where  it  was  probable  information  could  be  had.  And 
he  has  brought  together  a  body  of  contemporaneous  proofs  and  reminis 
cences,  touching  this  chief,  which  a  few  years  would  have  put  beyond  the 
power  of  recovery,  and  which  a  position  less  prominent  than  he  occupied 
as  a  public  journalist,  might  have  rendered  it  difficult  for  another  to  collect. 
We  need  only  refer  to  the  names  of  Gen.  P.  B.  Porter,  Rev.  J.  Brecken- 
rielge,  Mr.  Parish,  and  Mr.  Hosmer,  to  show  the  character  of  this  part  of 
his  materials. 

Other  chiefs  of  the  native  stock,  have  produced  occasional  pieces  of  elo 
quence,  or  admired  oratory,  but  Red-Jacket  is  the  only  prominent  individual 
who  has  devoted  his  whole  career  to  it.  That  he  did,  indeed,  excel,  pro 
ducing  effects  which  no  reported  speech  of  his  ever  equalled  or  did  justice 
to,  there  are  still  many  living  to  attest.  In  the  question  of  land  sales, 
which  arose  between  the  white  and  red  races,  there  were  frequent  occa 
sions  to  bring  him  out.  And  these,  in  the  end,  assumed  a  complicated 
shape,  from  either  the  vague  nature,  or  ill  understood  conditions  of  prior 
grants.  In  all  these  discussions,  he  preserved  a  unity  and  consistency  in 
the  set  of  opinions  he  had  adopted.  He  was  opposed  to  further  sales,  to 
removal,  to  civilization,  and  to  the  introduction  of  Christianity  among  his 
people.  What  Brant  had  done  in  politics,  Red-Jacket  repeated  in  morals. 
Both  took  the  wrong  side,  and  both  failed.  But  it  is  to  be  said  of  the  Sen 
eca  orator,  that  he  did  not  live  to  see  the  final  defeat  of  that  course 
of  policy  which  he  had  so  long  and  so  ably  advocated. 

It  was  remarked  by  Mr.  Clinton,  and  the  fact  had  impressed  others,  that 
the  Iroquois,  or  Six  Nations,  excelled  the  other  natives  in  eloquence.  Of 
this,  their  history,  during  the  Supremacy  of  Holland  and  England  in  New 
York,  as  given  by  Golden,  furnishes  ample  proofs.  The  speech  of  Gar 
angula,  against  the  Governor  General  of  Canada  and  his  wily  policy,  is 
unexcelled,  as  a  whole,  by  anything  which  even  Red-Jacket  has  left  in 
print,  though  much  of  the  effect  of  it  is  due  to  the  superior  and  heroic  po 
sition  occupied  by  the  tribes  for  whom  he  spoke.  Logan,  unexcelled  by 
all  others  for  his  pathos  and  simplicity,  it  must  be  remembered,  was  also 
of  this  stock, — Mingo,  or  Mengwe,  as  the  Delawares  pronounced  it,  being 
but  a  generic  term  for  Iroquois  ;  so  that  the  transmission  of  this  trait,  from 
the  proud  era  of  the  Iroquois  confederacy  down  to  modern  days,  is  quite 
in  keeping  with  the  opinion  quoted. 

It  is  to  be  wished  that  Col.  Stone  would  supply  another  link  in  the 
chain  of  Iroquois  history,  by  favoring  the  public  with  the  life  of  the  noted 
Oneida  chief,  Shenandoah,  for  which  materials  must  exist  in  the  Kirkland 
family. 

The  lives  of  the  two  men,  Uncas  and  Miontonimo,  whose  leading  a:,ts 


INDIAN   RULERS.  153 

•Are  described  in  one  of  the  volumes  named  in  our  caption,  belong  to  an 
earlier  period  of  history,  and  a  different  theatre  of  action.  The  scene 
Changes  from  western  New  York  to  the  seaboard  of  Connecticut,  Rhode 
Island,  and,  to  some  extent,  Massachusetts.  Uncas  was  the  good  genius, 
the  tutelary  spirit,  if  we  may  so  say,  of  the  colony  of  Connecticut ;  and 
the  best  monument  which  that  State  could  erect  to  his  memory,  would  be 
to  change  the  unmeaning  and  worn  out  name  of  one  of  her  counties,  New 
London,  for  that  of  the  noble  and  friendly  chief,  of  whose  forest  kingdom 
it  once  formed  a  part.  From  the  first  day  that  the  English  colonists  set 
foot  within  it,  to  the  hour  of  his  death,  Uncas  was  the  unwavering  "  friend 
of  the  white  man,"  as  his  biographer  justly  calls  him.  He  was  of  that 
race,  whom  history  has,  without  making  a  particle  of  allowance  for  sav 
age  ignorance  and  hereditary  prejudice,  branded  under  the  name  of  Pe- 
quods.  They  were  of  that  type  of  languages  and  lineage,  which  was 
very  well  characterized  generically,  at  least  as  far  south  as  the  original 
country  of  the  Dela wares  ;  but  which  assumed  a  sub-type  after  crossing 
the  Hudson,  and  was  known  east  of  that  point  under  one  of  its  superin 
duced  forms,  as  the  Mohegan.  This  term  had  been  dropped  by  the  Pe- 
quods,  if  it  was  ever  their  specific  cognomen,  but  it  is  a  proof,  and  we  think 
a  very  conclusive  proof,  of  the  yet  freshly  remembered  affiliation  with 
Taminund*  and  the  Manhattans,  that  Uncas,  the  moment  he  revolted  from 
King  Sassacus,  assumed  the  name  of  a  Mohegan,  and  put  himself  at  the 
head  of  that  tribe,  as  it  then  existed  within  the  boundaries  of  Connecticut. 
Or  rather,  he  constituted  the  revolted  Pequods  a  new  tribe,  under  an  old 
and  respected  name,  and  he  thus  laid  the  foundation  of  the  Uncas  dynasty. 
Placed  thus  by  circumstances  in  a  position  in  which  he  sought  an  alliance 
with  the  early  colonists,  and  finding  his  security  in  theirs,  he  was  in  fact 
the  only  leading  chief  of  the  times  who,  really,  heartily,  and  faithfully 
sought  their  prosperity  and  growth  to  the  end.  The  rise  of  Uncas  and 
Connecticut  thus  began  at  one  era  ;  and  as  the  alliance  was  founded  on 
mutual  interest  and  safety,  it  only  grew  stronger  with  time.  A  man  of 
less  force  of  character  or  natural  sagacity  than  Uncas,  would  have  vacillated 
when  he  saw  the  colonists  becoming  more  powerful  and  himself  more 
weak  as  years  rolled  on,  and  would  have  been  seduced  to  enter  into  alli 
ances  for  arresting  the  white  man's  power,  as  other  native  chiefs  had  done. 
But  all  history  concurs  in  showing  that,  under  every  circumstance,  and 
there  were  many  of  the  most  trying  kind,  he  carried  himself  well,  and 
avoided  even  a  suspicion  of  his  fidelity. 

Uncas  was  well  qualified  for  a  ruler  both  in  mind  and  person.  He  pos 
sessed  a  fine  figure,  over  six  feet  in  height,  a  commanding  voice,  and  a 
noble  bearing.  He  was  mild  yet  dignified  in  his  manners.  He  was  not 

*  The  name  of  this  chief  is  Anglicised  in  the  word  Tammany 


154  INDIAN    RULERS. 

only  wise  in  council,  but  brave*  in  war,  as  he  evinced  in  many  instances,, 
but  particularly  in  the  battle  of  Sachem's  Plain,  in  which  he  proved  him 
self  the  bravest  and  most  chivalrous  of  the  brave.  Yet  his  wisdom  and 
moderation  in  governing  his  people,  and  the  well  balanced  justice  and  con 
sistency  of  his  character,  give  him  a  still  higher  reputation,  and  establish 
his  best  claim  to  remembrance.  In  all  the  trials  in  which  he  was  placed, 
in  all  the  temptations  he  had  to  fly  into  a  rage,  and  act  out  the  savage,  he 
sustained  this  character  for  wise  deliberation  ;  and  by  adhering  to  his  first 
covenant  with  the  English,  and  laying  all  his  plans  and  grievances  before 
the  colonial  courts,  he  raised  himself  in  strength  and  reputation,  and  finally 
triumphed,  first  over  Sassacus,  and  then  over  Miontonimo,  the  two  great 
est  and  most  powerful  of  his  immediate  contemporaries. 

If  Uncas  was  the  patron  of  Connecticut,  Miontonimo,  with  his  family 
of  the  Narragansett  chiefdom,  was  equally  so  of  Rhode  Island.  And  it  is 
from  this  obvious  fact,  probably,  in  part,  that  we  find  the  historical  notices 
of  him,  from  the  last  quarter,  decidedly  more  favorable  to  his  general 
character  than  those  emanating  from  the  land  of  his  enemy  arid  his  con 
queror,  Uncas.  While  there  is  no  disagreement  as  to  any  historical  fact 
of  note,  it  is  natural  that  some  little  shade  of  feeling  of  this  nature  should 
remain.  We  have  noticed  a  similar  feeling  with  respect  to  existing  tribes 
and  chiefs,  in  the  western  world,  where  the  inhabitants  never  fail  to  be 
imbued  with  those  peculiar  notions  and  traditions  of  the  particular  tribe 
about  them,  which  represent  the  latter  as  the  principal  nation,  and  invest 
them  with  tribal  traits  of  superiority.  It  is  a  feeling  which  leans  to  the 
better  side  of  one's  nature,  and  does  honor  to  men's  hearts  ;  but  the  histo 
rian  is  obliged  to  look  at  such  questions  with  a  colder  eye,  and  can  never 
abate  a  tittle  of  the  truth,  although  he  may  run  counter  to  this  local  sym 
pathy  and  bias.  We  could  name  some  remarkable  instances  of  this  preju 
dice,  if  we  were  willing  to  digress. 

If  Miontonimo  be  compared  to  Uncas,  it  will  at  once  be  seen  that 
he  lacked  the  latter's  sagacity  and  firmness  of  character,  Had  the  Nar 
ragansett  listened  to  Sassacus,  and  formed  a  league  with  him,  he  would 
have  crushed,  for  a  time,  the  infant  colony  of  Connecticut.  This  he  de 
clined,  apparently,  because  it  had  the  specific  character  of  enabling  Sassa 
cus  to  put  down  Uncas.  After  the  Pequod  king  had  been  defeated  and 


*  The  terms  "brave"  and  "braves"  used  in  a  substantive  sense,  in  this  work,  are 
neither  English  nor  Indian.  The  Indian  terra  should  be  translated  strong-heart,  its 
literal  import  ;  for  it  is  one  of  the  general  rules  of  these  languages,  that  the  operation 
of  the  adjective,  as  well  as  action  of  the  verb,  is  uniformly  marked  upon  the  substan 
tive — there  being,  indeed,  different  inflections  of  each  substantive,  to  denote  whethei 
this  operation  or  action  be  caused  by  a  noble  or  ignoble,  or  an  animate  or  inanimate  ob 
ject.  Still  the  general  use  of  the  Canadian  term  Brave,  on  our  Indian  border,  may 
give  it  some  poetic  claims  to  introduction  into  our  vernacular,  burthened  as  it  aheadyw 
with  more  objectionable  Americanisms. 


INDIAN    RULERS.  155 

fled  to  the  Mohawks,  Miontonimo  was  left  in  a  position  to  assume  the  Pe- 
quod's  policy,  and  then  tried  to  bring  Uncas  into  just  such  a  combination 
to  fall  on  the  colonists,  as  he  had  himself  refused,  when  the  proposition 
came  from  Sassacus.  As  Uncas  not  only  refused,  but  laid  the  scheme  be 
fore  his  allies,  Miontonimo  went  to  war  against  him,  with  a  large  army. 
Uncas  hastily  prepared  to  meet  him,  with  a  smaller  force.  They  met  on 
Sachem's  Plain,  on  the  banks  of  the  Shawtucket.  Uncas,  unwilling  to 
see  so  many  of  his  people  slain  in  battle,  nobly  stepped  forward  and  pro 
posed  a  personal  combat,  to  decide  the  question  of  who  should  rule,  and 
who  obey.  It  was  declined,  but  the  moment  the  reply  was  made,  he 
threw  himself  on  the  plain,  a  signal,  it  seems,  for  his  men  to  advance,  and 
they  came  on  with  such  an  impulse,  that  he  won  the  day  and  took  Mion 
tonimo  prisoner.  This  capture  was  the  act  of  one  of  his  minor  chiefs ; 
but  when  his  enemy  was  brought  before  him,  he  declined  exercising  his 
right  of  putting  him  to  death,  but  determined  to  refer  the  matter  to  the  au 
thorities  of  Hartford.  There  it  was  found  to  be  a  knotty  question,  and 
finally  referred  to  the  General  Court  at  Boston.  The  Court  strengthened 
itself  with  the  opinions  of  six  distinguished  clergymen  and  several  eminent 
civilians  ;  and  then  decided,  that  the  Narragansett  chief  had  justly  forfeited 
his  life,  by  violating  his  political  covenants  with  the  colonies,  but  it  might 
not  be  taken  away  by  them.  He  must  be  remanded  to  Uncas,  within  his 
jurisdiction,  and  by  him  be  executed ;  but  it  was  enjoined,  with  a  very 
poor  compliment  to  the  known  mildness  of  the  character  of  Uncas,  that  no 
needless  cruelty  should  be  practised.  Here,  then,  the  white  man  evinced 
less  mercy  than  the  red  had  done.  Miontonimo  was  now  released  from 
his  confinement,  and  conducted  back  to  the  very  spot  where  he  had  first 
been  taken  prisoner,  as  he  approached  which,  one  of  the  Mohegans  who 
accompanied  him,  keeping  him  in  entire  ignorance  of  his  fate,  raised  his 
tomahawk  as  he  walked  behind  him,  and  laid  him  dead  at  a  blow. 

Whether  the  moral  responsibility  of  this  execution  rests  with  the  court, 
or  the  executioner,  we  do  not  propose  particularly  to  inquire,  nor  to  ascer 
tain  to  what  degree  it  was  shuffled  off,  by  directing  an  Indian  to  commit 
an  act  which  it  was  unlawful  for  a  white  man  and  a  Christian  to  perform. 
Had  Uncas  slain  his  adversary  in  cold  blood,  after  the  action,  the  thing 
would  have  been  in  perfect  accordance  with  Indian  law.  Had  Mionton 
imo  been  a  subject  of  either  of  the  colonies  of  Connecticut,  Rhode  Island 
or  Massachusetts,  and  levied  war,  or  committed  any  overt  act  of  treason, 
his  execution  would  have  been  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  civilized 
nations.  Neither  condition  happened.  It  was,  however,  felt,  that  the 
great  disturber  of  the  colonies,  after  Sassacus,  had  now  been  caught.  He 
had  violated  his  covenant  by  going  to  war  without  apprising  them.  They 
did  not  believe  he  would  keep  any  future  covenants.  The  moral  sense 
of  the  community  would  not  be  shocked,  but  rather  gratified  by  his  exe 
cution.  This  point  was  strongly  signified  to  the  court.  But  they  could 


156  INDIAN   RULERS. 

not  legally  compass  it.  English  law  opposed  it.  The  customs  of  civu 
ized  nations,  in  warring  with  each  other ,  opposed  it.  Should  a  different 
rule  be  observed  towards  the  aborigines  ?  Did  the  dictates  of  sound  judg 
ment  and  common  sense,  did  the  precepts  of  Christianity, — aye,  "  there 
was  the  rub,"— did  the  precepts  of  Christianity  sanction  it?  On  full  de 
liberation, — for  the  question  was  not  decided  in  haste, — neither  of  these 
points  could  be  affirmatively  answered.  But  while  policy — the  policy  of 
expediency,  the  lust  of  power,  and  the  offended  moral  sense  of  an  exposed 
and  suffering  community  demanded,  as  it  was  thought,  the  death  of  the 
sachem,  still  it  was  not  found  that  one  whom  they  had  ever  treated,  and 
then  viewed,  as  a  foreign  prince,  legally  considered,  could  be  thus  de 
prived  of  his  life.  Imprisonment  was  not,  as  a  permanent  policy,  resolved 
on.  There  was  one  course  left  to  escape  both  dilemmas,  and  to  avoid  all 
censure.  It  was  to  restore  things  to  the  precise  footing  they  had  before 
his  surrender.  It  was  to  hand  him  back  to  Uncas,  without  the  expression 
of  any  decision,  leaving  that  chieftain  to  act  as  he  deemed  fit.  They  re 
manded  him  indeed,  but  went  one  step  too  far,  by  first  deciding  in  a  formal 
court,  after  months  of  deliberation,  in  the  course  of  which  the  clergy  and 
gentry,  (this  is  a  term  that  would  be  proper  to  the  times)  had  been  form 
ally  consulted,  and  directed  his  death,  stipulating  only  that  he  should  net 
be  killed  with  cruelty.  If  there  was  not  something  that  smacks  of  the 
want  of  true  and  noble  dealing  in  this — if  it  accorded  with  the  bland  pre 
cepts  of  Christianity,  to  do  unto  others  as  you  would  that  others  should  do 
unto  you — if  the  act  did  not,  in  fine,  partake  of  the  very  spirit  of  Jesuitism 
in  the  worst  sense  in  which  the  word  has  been  adopted  into  the  language 
we  have,  we  confess,  formed  a  totally  wrong  idea  of  its  meaning. 

A  case,  in  some  respects  similar  to  this,  happened  in  modern  times 
which  may  be  thought  to  contrast  rather  strongly  with  the  above  example 
of  Puritan  mercy.  The  reasons  for  a  capital  punishment,  were,  indeed, 
far  more  cogent,  and  the  community  called  out  strongly  for  it,  and  would 
have  sustained  it.  It  was  the  capture  of  Black  Hawk,  which,  it  will  be 
recollected,  took  place  during  the  first  Presidential  term  of  General  Jack 
son.  Black  Hawk  had  levied  war  within  the  boundaries  of  one  of  the 
States,  on  lands  ceded  by  treaty,  and  organized  a  confederacy  of  Indian 
tribes,  which,  though  broken  up  in  part,  chiefly  through  the  failure  of  the 
other  tribes  to  fulfil  their  engagements  with  him,  yet  required  for  its  sup 
pression  the  entire  disposable  force  of  the  Union.  The  Sac  chief  was 
finally  captured  on  Indian  territory,  in  the  act  of  fleeing  west  of  the  Mis 
sissippi.  He  was  imprisoned,  and  the  case  referred  to  the  Government 
for  decision.  He  had  broken  his  treaty  covenants.  He  had  not  only 
made  war,  but  in  its  outbreak  and  its  continuance,  had  been  guilty  of  coun 
tenancing,  at  least,  the  most  shocking  barbarities.  He  had,  indeed,  opened 
the  scene  by  cruelly  murdering  the  agent  of  the  Government,  the  repre 
sentative  of  the  President,  in  the  person  of  Mr.  St.  Vrain.  The  commu 


INDIAN    RULERS.  157 

nity,  the  western  States  particularly,  called  loudly  for  his  execution. 
There  could  be  no  security,  it  was  said,  if  such  a  bloody  fellow  was  al- 
allowed  to  roam  at  large.  He  had  forfeited  his  life  a  thousand  times. 
There  was,  indeed,  the  same  popular  feeling  against  him,  which  had  ex 
isted  in  New  England,  one  hundred  and  ninety  years  before,  against 
Miontonimo.  But  could  he  have  been  legally  executed?  And  if  so,  was 
it,  indeed,  the  true  policy  ?  Was  it  noble — was  it  high-minded  '?  Was 
it  meting  out  exact  and  equal  justice  to  men  with  red  skins,  as  well  as 
white?  It  was  thought  that  all  these  questions  must  be  negatively 
answered  ;  and  the  bold  Sac  insurgent  was  sent  home,  accompanied  by  an 
officer  of  the  army,  to  secure  his  comfort  and  safety,  and  thus  to  see  that  a 
wise  and  merciful  decision  should  be  faithfully  carried  out,  and  popular 
indignation  be  prevented  from  wreaking  itself,  in  the  assassination  of  the 
chief. 

In  closing  these  remarks,  it  may  appear  selfish  to  express  the  hope,  that 
Mr.  Stone,  to  whom  we  are  already  indebted  for  these  spirited,  compre 
hensive,  and  well  written  volumes,  should  still  further  employ  his  pen  in 
adding  to  the  sum  of  these  obligations.  But  he  has  so  well  studied  the 
field  in  its  historical  bearing,  so  far  at  least  as  relates  to  the  eastern  depart 
ment  of  the  Union,  that  we  know  of  no  one  to  whom  the  labour  would 
present  less  of  the  character  of  a  task.  We  are  in  want  of  a  good  account 
of  Philip,  or  Metacom,  the  energetic  sachem  of  the  Pokenokets,  who  im 
personated  so  fully  the  wild  Indian  character,  and  views,  and  battled  so 
stoutly  against  the  occupancy  of  New  England  by  the  Saxon  race.  In 
showing  up  to  modern  times  such  a  man,  we  think  a  biography  would  de 
rive  very  deep  interest,  and  it  would  certainly  be  a  new  experiment,  to 
take  up  the  aboriginal  views  and  opinions  of  the  invading  race,  and  thus 
write,  as  it  were,  from  within,  instead  of  without  the  circle  of  warlike  ac 
tion.  In  this  way,  their  combinations,  efforts  and  power,  would  better  ap 
pear,  and  redound  more  to  the  credit  of  the  aboriginal  actors,  as  warriors 
and  heroes.  As  it  is,  history  only  alludes  to  them  as  conspirators,  rebels, 
traitors,  or  culprits ;  as  if  the  fact  of  their  opposing  the  egress  of  civilized 
nations,  who  were  in  all  respects  wiser  and  better,  were  sufficient  to  blot 
out  all  their  right  and  claim  to  the  soil  and  sovereignty  of  the  land  of  their 
forefathers,  and  they  were  in  fact  bound  to  stand  back,  and  give  it  up  nolens 
volens. 

We  had  designed  to  subjoin  a  few  remarks  on  the  biographical  labors 
of  other  writers  in  this  department,  particularly  those  of  Thatcher  and 
Drake,  but  our  limits  are  already  exhausted,  and  we  must  abandon,  or  at 
least,  defer  it 


THE   RABID   WOLF. 


A   VERITABLE   TRADITION    OF   THE   VALLEY   OF    THE    TAWASENTHA. 

THE  great  Pine  Plains,  beginning  not  far  south  of  the  junction  of  the 
Mohawk  with  the  North  River,  are  still  infested  by  wolves,  who  harbour 
in  its  deep  gorges,  from  which  they  sally  out  at  night,  on  the  sheep-folds 
of  the  farmers,  and  often  put  a  whole  neighbourhood  in  fear.  The  rail 
road  track  from  Albany  to  Schenectady,  passes  over  a  part  of  these  plains, 
which  stretch  away  in  the  direction  of  the  blue  outlines  of  the  Hel- 
derberg  mountains.  It  is  many  miles  across  the  narrowest  part  of  them, 
and  they  reach  down  to  the  very  outskirts  of  the  city  of  Albany,  where 
they  have  of  late  years,  and  since  Buel's  day,  begun  to  cultivate  them  by 
sowing  clover,  planting  fruit  trees,  and  in  other  ways.  They  constitute 
the  table  land  of  the  county,  and  send  out  from  beneath  their  heavy  mass 
of  yellow  sand  and  broken  down  sand  stones,  mica  slates,  and  granites, 
many  springs  and  streams  of  the  purest  and  most  crystalline  waters,  which 
find  their  outlets  chiefly  into  the  valley  of  the  Tawasentha,  or,  as  the  river 
is  called  in  popular  language,  the  Norman's  Kill,  and  are  thus  contributed 
to  swell  the  noble  volume  of  the  Hudson.  These  springs  issue  at  the  pre 
cise  point  where  the  arenaceous  mass  rests  on  a  clay  or  impervious  basis. 
The  effect,  in  ancient  years,  has  been  that  the  sand  is  carried  off,  grain  by 
grain,  till  a  deep  ravine  or  gorge  is  formed.  The  sides  of  this  gorge 
being  composed  of  mixed  earth  and  some  mould,  and  free  from  the  aridity 
of  the  surface,  bear  a  dense  and  vigorous  growth  of  hard  wood  trees  and 
shrubbery,  and  are  often  found  to  be  encumbered  with  immense  trunks  of 
fallen  pines  and  other  forest  rubbish,  which  renders  it  very  difficult  to 
penetrate  them.  It  is  into  these  dark  gorges  that  the  wolves  retreat,  after 
scouring  the  plains  and  neighbouring  farms  for  prey :  and  here  they  have 
maintained  their  ancient  empire  from  time  immemorial.  Such,  at  least. 
was  the  state  of  things  between  the  settlers  and  the  wolves,  at  the  date  of 
this  story,  in  1807. 

Sometimes  the  whole  country  armed  and  turned  out  en  masse,  to  ferret 
them  out  of  their  fastnesses  and  destroy  them;  and  truly  the  forces 
assembled  on  some  of  these  wolf-hunts  were  surprising,  and,  in  one 
respect,  that  is  to  say,  the  motley  and  uncouth  character  of  their  arms, 
they  would  have  put  both  Bonaparte  and  Wellington  to  flight.  There 
was  nothing,  from  a  pitchfork  to  a  heavy  blunderbuss,  which  they  did  not 
carry,  always  excepting  a  good  rifle,  which  I  never  remember  to  have 
seen  on  these  occasions.  Indeed,  these  formal  turn-outs  were  better  suited 
to  frighten  away,  than  to  kill  and  capture  the  foe ;  so  that  there  was  no 

158 


VILLAGE    TRADITION.  159 

just  cause  of  surprise  why  the  wolves  remained,  and  even  increased. 
They  still  kept  masters  of  the  Plains — sheep  were  killed  by  dozens,  night 
ifter  night,  and  the  alarm  went  on. 

It  was  at  other  times  tried  to  trap  them,  and  to  bait  them  in  sundry  ways. 
I  recollect  that  we  all  had  implicit  faith  in  the  village  schoolmaster,  one 
Cleanthus,  who  knew  some  Latin,  and  a  little  of  almost  every  thing  ;  and 
among  other  arts  which  he  cherished,  and  dealt 'out  in  a  way  to  excite 
wonder  for  his  skill,  he  knew  how  tp  make  the  wolves  follow  his  tracks, 
by  smearing  his  shoes  with  aBsofcedita,  or  some  other  substance,  and  then 
ensconcing  himself  at  night  in  a  log  pen,  where  he  might  bid  defiance  to 
the  best  of  them,  and  shoot  at  them  besides.  But  I  never  could  learn  that 
there  were  any  of  these  pestiferous  animals  killed,  either  by  the  school 
master  and  his  party,  or  any  other  party,  except  it  was  the  luckless  poor 
animal  I  am  about  to  write  of,  which  showed  its  affinities  to  the  canine 
race  by  turning  rabid,  and  rushing  at  night  into  the  midst  of  a  populous 
manufacturing  village. 

losco  was  eligibly  seated  on  the  summit  and  brow  of  a  picturesque 
series  of  low  crowned  hills,  just  on  the  southern  verge  of  these  great 
Plains,  where  the  tillable  and  settled  land  begins.  It  was,  consequently, 
in  relation  to  these  wolves,  a  perfect  frontier  ;  and  we  had  not  only  fre 
quent  alarms,  but  also  the  privilege  and  benefit  of  hearing  all  the  won 
derful  stories  of  wolf-adventure,  to  man  and  beast,  for  a  wide  circle.  In 
deed,  these  stories  often  came  back  with  interest,  from  the  German  and 
Dutch  along  the  Swarta  Kill,  and  Boza  Kill  settlements,  away  up  to  the  foot 
of  the  Helderberg  mountains.  A  beautiful  and  clear  stream  of  sparkling 
cold  water,  called  the  Hungerkill,  after  gathering  its  crystal  tributaries  from 
the  deep  gorges  of  the  plains,  ran  through  the  village,  and  afforded  one 
or  two  seats  for  mills,  and  after  winding  and  doubling  on  its  track  a  mile 
or  two,  rendered  its  pellucid  stores  into  the  Norman's  Kill,  or,  as  this 
stream  was  called  by  the  ancient  Mohawk  race,  in  allusion  to  their  sleep 
ing  dead,  the  Tawasentha.  No  stream  in  the  country  was  more  famous 
for  the  abundance  of  its  fine  brook  trout,  and  the  neighbouring  plains 
served  to  shelter  the  timid  hare,  and  the  fine  species  of  northern  partridge, 
which  is  there  always  called  a  pheasant. 

The  village  was  supported  by  its  manufacturing  interests,  and  was 
quite  populous.  It  had  a  number  of  long  streets,  some  of  which  reached 
across  the  stream,  and  over  a  spacious  mill  pond,  and  others  swept  at 
right  angles  along  the  course  of  the  great  Cherry  Valley  turnpike.  In 
its  streets  were  to  be  heard,  in  addition  to  the  English,  nearly  all  the  dia 
lects  of  the  German  between  the  Rhine  and  the  Danube ;  the  Low  Dutch 
as  spoken  by  the  common  country  people  on  the  manor  of  Rensselaer- 
wyck,  the  Erse  and  Gaelic,  as  not  unfrequently  used  by  the  large  pro 
portion  of  its  Irish  and  Scotch,  and  what  seemed  quite  as  striking  to  one 
brought  up  in  seclusion  from  it,  the  genuine  Yankee,  as  discoursed  by 


VILLAGE    TRADITION. 

Ihe  increasing  class  of  factory  wood  choppers,  teamsters,  schoolmasters, 
men  out  at  the  elbows,  and  travelling  wits.  The  latter  were  indeed  but  a 
sorry  representation  of  New  England,  as  we  have  since  found  it.  No 
small  amount  of  superstitions  were  believed  and  recited  in  the  social  meet 
ings  of  such  a  mixed  foreign  population.  Accounts  of  instances  of  the 
second  sight,  death-lights  on  the  meadows  and  in  the  churchyard,  the 
low  howling  of  premonitory  dogs  before  funerals,  and  other  legendary 
wares,  to  say  nothing  of  the  actual  and  veritable  number  of  downright 
spooks,  seen  on  various  occasions,  on  the  lands  of  the  Veeders,  the  Van 
Valken burgs,  the  Truaxes,  and  the  Lagranges,  rendered  it  a  terror  to  all 
children  under  twelve  to  stir  out  of  doors  after  dark.  There  were  in  the 
annals  of  losco,  several  events  in  the  historical  way  which  served  as  per 
fect  eras  to  its  inhabitants ;  but  none,  it  is  believed,  of  so  striking  and 
general  importance  as  the  story  of  the  Mad  "Wolf,  of  which  I  am  about 
to  write. 

There  had  been  found,  soon  after  the  close  of  the  revolutionary  war, 
in  a  dark  wood  very  near  the  road,  pieces  of  a  cloth  coat  and  metallic 
buttons,  and  other  things,  which  rendered  it  certain  that  a  man  had  been 
murdered  at  that  spot,  in  consequence  of  which  the  place  was  shunned, 
or  hurried  by,  as  if  a  spirit  of  evil  had  its  abode  there.  On  another  oc 
casion,  the  body  of  a  poor  old  man  of  the  name  of  Homel,  was  found 
drowned  deep  in  the  Norman's  Kill,  clasped  in  the  arms  of  his  wife,  both 
dead.  A  gentleman  of  standing,  who  ventured  alone,  rather  groggy, 
one  dark  night,  over  the  long  unrailed  bridge  that  crossed  the  mill  pond, 
pitched  upon  some  sharp  pallisadoes  in  the  water,  and  came  to  a  melan 
choly  end.  Hormaun,  an  Iroquois,  who  haunted  the  valley,  had  killed, 
it  was  said,  ninety-nine  men,  and  was  waiting  an  opportunity  to  fill  his 
count,  by  dispatching  his  hundredth  man.  This  was  a  greatly  dreaded 
event,  particularly  by  the  boys.  There  was  also  the  era,  when  a  Race 
Course  had  been  established  on  a  spot  called  the  "  Colonel's  Farm,"  and 
the  era  of  the  "  Deep  Snow."  There  were  many  other  events  celebrated 
in  losco,  such  as  the  De  Zeng  era,  the  Van  Rensselaer  era,  and  the  Van 
Kleeck  era,  which  helped  the  good  mothers  to  remember  the  period 
when  their  children  were  born  ;  but  none,  indeed,  of  so  notable  a  cha* 
racter  to  youthful  minds  as  the  adventure  of  the  mad  wolf.  / 

Wolf  stories  were  in  vogue,  in  fact,  in  the  evening  and  tea  party  circles 
of  losco  for  many  years ;  and  if  one  would  take  every  thing  as  it  was 
given,  there  had  been  more  acts  of  bravery,  conduct,  and  firm  decision  of 
character  and  foresight,  displayed  in  encountering  these  wild  vixens  of 
the  plains  and  valleys  by  night,  than  would,  if  united,  have  been  suffi 
cient  to  repel  the  inroads  of  Burgoyne,  St.  Leger,  or  Sir  John  Johnson, 
with  Brant,  and  all  his  hosts  of  tories  and  Indians,  during  the  American 
revolution. 

I  chanced  one  night  to  hnve  left  the  city  of  Albany,  in  company  with 


VILLAGE    TRADITION.  161 

one  of  these  heroic  spirits.  We  occupied  my  father's  chaise,  an  oid 
feshioried  piece  of  gentility  now  out  of  vogue,  drawn  hy  a  prime  horse, 
one  which  he  always  rode  on  parades.  It  was  late  before  we  got  out  of 
the  precincts  of  the  city,  and  up  the  hill,  and  night  overtook  us  away  in 
the  pine  woods,  at  Billy  McKown's,  a  noted  public-house  seated  half  way 
between  the  city  and  losco,  where  it  was  customary  in  those  days  to  halt  ; 
for  besides  that  he  was  much  respected,  and  one  of  the  most  sensible  and 
influential  men  in  the  town,  it  was  not  thought  right,  whatever  the  traveller 
might  require,  that  a  horse  should  be  driven  eight  miles  without  drawing 
breath,  and  having  a  pail  of  water.  As  I  was  but  young,  and  less  of  a 
charioteer  than  my  valiant  companion,  he  held  the  whip  and  reins  thus 
far ;  but  after  the  wolf  stories  that  poured  in  upon  us  at  McKown's  that 
evening,  he  would  hold  them  no  longer.  Every  man,  he  thought,  was 
responsible  to  himself.  He  did  not  wish  to  be  wolfs  meat  that  night,  so 
hev  hired  a  fleet  horse  from  our  host,  and  a  whip  and  spurs,  and  set  off 
with  the  speed  of  a  Jehu,  leaving  me  to  make  my  way,  in  the  heavy 
chaise,  through  the  sandy  plains,  as  best  1  could. 

In  truth  we  had  just  reached  the  most  sombre  part  of  the  plain,  where 
the  trees  were  more  thick,  the  sand  deep  and  heavy,  and  not  a  house  but 
one,  within  the  four  miles.  To  render  it  worse,  this  was  the  chief  locality 
of  wolf  insolence,  where  he  had  even  ventured  to  attack  men.  It  was  on 
this  route  too,  that  the  schoolmaster  had  used  his  medical  arts,  which  made 
it  better  known  through  the  country  as  the  supposed  centre  of  their  power. 
Nothing  harmed  me,  however  ;  the  horse  was  fine,  and  I  reached  home 
not  only  uneaten,  but  unthreatened  by  a  wolf's  jaw. 

But  I  must  confine  myself  to  the  matter  in  hand.  A  large  and  fierce 
wolf  sallied  out  of  the  plains  one  dark  summer's  night,  and  rushed  into 
the  midst  of  the  village,  snapping  to  the  right  and  left  as  he  went,  and 
biting  every  animal  that  came  in  his  way.  Cows,  swine,  pigs,  geese — 
every  species,  whether  on  four  legs,  or  two  legs,  shared  its  malice  alike. 
The  animal  seemed  to  have  a  perfect  ubiquity — it  was  every  where,  and 
seemed  to  have  spared  nothing.  It  is  not  recollected  that  there  was  a 
single  house,  or  barn-yard  in  the  village,  where  something  had  not  been 
bitten.  If  he  had  come  on  an  errand  of  retribution,  for  the  great  and 
threatening  wolf-parties  which  had  gone  out  against  his  race,  and  all  the 
occult  arts  of  the  schoolmaster  in  trying  to  decoy  them  at  Barrett's  hollow, 
he  could  not  have  dealt  out  his  venomous  snaps  more  indiscriminately. 

It  must  have  been  about  midnight,  or  soon  after,  that  the  fearful  visiter 
came.  Midnight,  in  a  country  village,  finds  almost  every  one  in  bed,  but 
such  was  the  uproar  among  the  animal  creation,  made  by  this  strange  in 
terloper,  that  out  of  bed  they  soon  come.  The  cattle  bellowed,  the  pigs 
squealed,  the  poultry  cackled — there  must  be  something  amiss.  Santa 
Claus  himself  must  be  playing  his  pranks.  "A  wolf!"  was  the  cry — "a 
woif  is  committing  havoc."  "  It  is  mad  !"  came  next  on  the  voices  of  the 

11 


162  VILLAGE    TRADITION. 

night.  "  A  mad  wolf ! — a  mad  wolf!"  Nothing  but  a  mad  wolf  could  vezs 
ture  alone  into  the  heart  of  the  village,  and  do  so  much  mischief.  Out 
ran  the  people  into  the  streets,  men,  women  and  all.  Some  caught  up 
guns,  some  clubs,  some  pitchforks.  If  the  tories  and  Indians,  in  the  old 
French  war,  had  broke  into  the  settlement  with  fire  and  sword,  there 
could  not  have  been  a  greater  tumult,  and  nothing  but  a  mad  wolf  would 
have  stood  his  ground.  Where  is  he  ?  which  way  did  he  run  ?  who 
saw  him  ?  and  a  thousand  like  expressions  followed.  He  had  gone  south, 
and  south  the  mob  pushed  after  him.  He  was  away  over  on  the  street 
that  leads  up  from  the  middle  factory.  It  was  a  cloudy  night,  or  the  moon 
only  came  out  fitfully,  and  threw  light  enough  to  discern  objects  dimly, 
as  the  clouds  rolled  before  it.  Indistinct  murmurs  came  on  the  breeze, 
and  at  length  the  scream  of  a  woman.  The  cause  of  it  soon  followed. 
The  wolf  had  bitten  Mrs.  Sitz.  Now  Mrs.  Sitz  was  a  careful,  tall,  rigid- 
faced,  wakeful  housewife,  from  the  dutchy  of  Hesse  D'Armstadt,  who 
had  followed  the  fortunes  of  her  husband,  in  trying  his  mechanical  skill 
in  the  precincts  of  losco  ;  but  while  her  husband  Frank  laid  fast  asleep, 
under  the  influence  of  a  hard  day's  labour,  her  ears  were  open  to  the 
coming  alarm.  It  was  not  long  before  she  heard  a  tumult  in  her  goose 
pen.  The  rabid  animal  had  bounded  into  the  midst  of  them,  which 
created  as  great  an  outcry  as  if  Rome  had  a  second  time  been  invaded. 
Out  she  ran  to  their  relief,  not  knowing  the  character  of  the  disturber, 
but  naturally  thinking  it  was  some  thief  of  a  neighbour,  who  wished  to 
make  provision  for  a  coming  Christmas.  The  animal  gave  her  one  snap 
and  leapt  the  pen.  "  Mein  hemel !"  screamed  she,  t"  er  hat  mein  gebis- 
sen  !"  Sure  enough  the  wolf  had  bit  her  in  the  thigh. 

The  party  in  chase  soon  came  up,  and  while  some  stopt  to  parley  and 
sympathize  with  her,  others  pushed  on  after  the  animal — the  spitzbug,  as 
she  spitefully  called  him.  By  this  time  the  wolf  had  made  a  circuit  of 
the  southern  part  of  the  village,  and  scampered  down  the  old  factory  road, 
by  the  mill  dam,  under  the  old  dark  bridge  at  the  saw  mill,  and  up  the 
hill  by  the  old  public  store ;  and  thus  turned  his  course  back  towards  the 
north,  into  the  thickest  part  of  the  village,  where  he  had  first  entered. 
He  had  made  a  complete  circuit.  All  was  valour,  boasting,  and  hot  speed 
behind  him,  but  the  wolf  had  been  too  nimble  for  them.  Unluckily  for 
him,  however,  while  the  main 'group  pushed  behind,  just  as  he  was  scam 
pering  up  the  old  store  hill,  he  was  suddenly  headed  by  a  party  coming 
down  it.  This  party  was  led  by  old  Colonel  S.,  a  revolutionary  soldier 
a  field-officer  of  the  county  militia,  and  the  superintendent  of  the  exten 
sive  manufacturing  establishment  from  which  the  village  drew  its  pros 
perity.  He  was  armed  with  a  fusil  of  the  olden  time,  well  charged,  and 
having  been  roused  from  his  bed  in  a  hurry,  could  not  at  the  moment  find 
his  hat,  and  clapt  on  an  old  revolutionary  cocked  hat,  which  hung  in  the 
room.  His  appearance  was  most  opportune ;  he  halted  on  the  brow  of 


VILLAGE    TRADITION.  163 

the  hill;  and  as  the  wolf  bounded  on  he  levelled  his  piece  at  the  passing 
fugitive,  and  fired.  He  had  aimed  at  the  shoulders  ;  the  fleetness  of  its 
speed,  however,  saved  its  vital  parts,  hut  the  shot  took  effect  in  the  ani 
mal's  hind  legs.  They  were  both  broken  at  a  shot.  This  brought  him 
down.  The  poor  creature  tried  to  drag  himself  on  by  his  fore  paws, 
but  his  pursuers  were  too  close  upon  him,  and  they  soon  dispatched  him 
with  hatchets  and  clubs. 

Thus  fell  the  rabid  wolf,  to  be  long  talked  of  by  men  and  boys,  and 
put  down  as  a  chief  item  in  village  traditions.  But  the  effects  of  his  visit 
did  not  end  here.  In  due  time,  symptoms  of  madness  seized  the  cattle 
and  other  animals,  which  had  come  within  the  reach  of  his  teeth.  Many 
of  the  finest  milch  cows  were  shot.  Calves  and  swine,  and  even  poultry 
went  rabid  ;  and  as  things  of  this  kind  are  generally  overdone,  there  was 
a  perfect  panic  in  the  village  on  the  subject,  and  numbers  of  valuable 
animals  were  doubtless  shot,  merely  because  they  happened  to  show  some 
restiveness  at  a  very  critical  epoch. 

But  what,  methinks  the  reader  is  ready  to  ask,  became  of  Mrs.  Sitz  ? 
Whether  it  was,  that  she  had  brought  over  some  mystical  arts  from  the 
Wild  Huntsman  of  Bohemia,  or  had  derived  protection  from  the  venom 
through  the  carefully  administered  medicines  of  Dr.  Grouse,  who  duly 
attended  the  case,  or  some  inherent  influence  of  the  stout  hearted  woman, 
or  the  audacity  of  the  bite  itself,  had  proved  more  than  a  match  for  the 
wolf,  I  cannot  say ;  but  certain  it  is,  that  while  oxen  and  kine,  swine  and 
fallings,  fell  under  the  virus  and  were  shot,  she  recovered,  and  lived 
many  years  to  scold  her  dozing  husband  Frank,  who  did  not  jump  up 
immediately,  and  come  to  her  rescue  at  the  goose  pen. 


INDIAN  POSSESSIONS. — The  Ottoes  own,  at  the  latest  accounts,  a  large 
tract  of  country  on  the  Big  Platte,  west  of  the  Missouri ;  they  are  a  poor 
race  of  people,  and  receive  a  small  annuity  of  $2,500.  The  Pawnees  are 
a  powerful  body,  and  number  about  6,500  persons,  divided  into  bands  un 
der  the  names  of  Pawnee  Loups,  Grand  Pawnees,  Republican  Pawnees, 
Pawnee  Pics,  &c.  ;  they  are  wild  and  furtive  in  their  habits,  and  receive 
provisions  and  goods.  The  Grand  Nation  is  the  Pottowattomies,  or  the 
"  united  bands  of  the  Chippewas,  Ottawas,  and  Pottowattomies."  They 
own  five  millions  of  acres  of  prairie  lands,  along  the  Missouri  river  to 
the  Little  Sioux,  number  about  2,000,  and  receive  $42,000  a  year  for 
their  lands  sold  in  Illinois  and  Michigan.  They  are  a  respectable  body 
of  Indians,  are  good  farmers,  and  educate  their  children.  The  payment  of 
the  annuities  is  always  a  season  of  great  hilarity  and  festivity. — N.  0.  Pic. 


It  is  a  characteristic  of  some  of  the  Indian  legends,  that  they  convey  a  moral  which 
seems  clearly  enough  to  denote,  that  a  part  of  these  legends  were  invented  to  convey 
instruction  to  the  young  folks  who  listen  to  them.  The  known  absentee  of  all  harsh 
methods  among  the  Indians,  in  bringing  up  their  children,  favours  this  idea.  The  fol 
lowing  tale  addresses  itself  plainly  to  girls  ;  to  whom  it  teaches  the  danger  of  what  we 
denominate  coquetry.  It  would  seem  from  this,  that  beauty,  and  its  concomitant,  a 
passion  for  dress,  among  the  red  daughters  of  Adam  and  Eve,  has  the  same  tendency 
to  create  pride,  and  nourish  self-conceit,  and  self-esteem,  and  assume  a  tyranny  over  the 
human  heart,  which  writers  tell  us,  these  qualities  have  among  their  white-skinned, 
auburn-haired,  and  blue-eyed  progeny  the  world  over.  This  tale  has  appeared  in  the 
"  Columbian."  The  term  Moowis  is  one  of  the  most  derogative  and  offensive  possible. 
It  is  derived  from  the  Odjibwa  substantive,  mo,  filth,  or  excrement. 

MOOWIS, 

OR 

THE  MAN  MADE  UP  OF  RAGS  AND  DIRT- 

A   TRADITIONARY    LEGEND    OF   THE    ODJIBWAS. 

IN  a  large  village,  there  lived  a  noted  belle,  or  Ma  mon  da  go  kwa,  who 
was  the  admiration  of  all  the  young  hunters  and  warriors.  She  was 
particularly  admired  by  a  young  man,  who  from  his  good  figure,  and  the 
care  he  took  in  his  dress,  was  called  the  Beau-Man,  or  Ma  mon  'da  gin  in-e. 
This  young  man  had  a  friend  and  companion,  whom  he  made  a  confidant 
of  his  affairs.  "  Come,"  said  he,  one  day  in  a  sportive  mood,  "  let  us  go  a 
courting  to  her  who  is  so  handsome,  perhaps  she  may  fancy  one  of  us." 
But  she  would  listen  to  neither  of  them,  and  when  the  handsome  young 
man  rallied  from  the  coldness  of  her  air,  and  made  an  effort  to  overcome 
her  indifference,  she  put  together  her  thumb  and  three  fingers,  and  raising 
her  hand  gracefully  towards  him,  deliberately  opened  them  in  his  face. 
This  gesticulatory  mode  of  rejection  is  one  of  the  highest  contempt,  and 
the  young  hunter  retired  confused  and  abashed.  His  sense  of  pride  was 
deeply  wounded,  and  he  was  the  more  piqued,  that  it  had  been  done  in 
the  presence  of  others,  and  the  affair  was  soon  noised  about  the  village, 
and  became  the  talk  of  every  lodge  circle.  Besides,  he  was  a  very  sen 
sitive  man,  and  the  thing  so  preyed  upon  him,  that  he  became  moody; 
and  at  last  took  to  his  bed.  He  was  taciturn,  often  lying  for  days  without 
uttering  a  word,  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  vacancy,  and  taking  little  or  no 
food.  From  this  state  no  efforts  could  rouse  him ;  he  felt  abashed  and  dis 
honoured,  even  in  the  presence  of  his  own  relatives,  and  no  persuasions 
could  induce  him  to  rise.  So  that  when  the  family  prepared  to  take 
down  the  lodge  to  remove,  he  still  kept  his  bed,  and  they  were  compelled 
to  lift  it  over  his  head,  and  leave  him  upon  his  skin  couch.  It  was  a  time 
of  general  removal  and  breaking  up  of  the  camp,  for  it  was  only  a  win 
ter's  hunting  camp,  and  as  the  season  of  the  hunt  was  now  over,  and 

164 


TRADITIONARY    LEGENDS.  165 


spring  began  to  appear,  they  all  moved  off,  as  by  one  impulse,  to  the 
of  their  summer  village,  and  in  a  short  time,  all  were  gone,  and  he  was 
left  alone.  The  last  person  to  leave  him  was  his  boon  companion,  arid 
cousin,  who  has  been  mentioned  as  also  one  of  the  admirers  of  the 
forest  belle.  But  even  his  voice  was  disregarded,  and  as  soon  as  his  steps 
died  away  on  the  creaking  snow,  the  stillness  and  solitude  of  the  wilder 
ness  reigned  around. 

As  soon  as  all  were  gone,  and  he  could  no  longer,  by  listening,  hear  the 
remotest  sounds  of  the  departing  camp,  the  Beau-Man  arose.  It  is  to  be 
understood  that  this  youug  man  was  aided  by  a  powerful  guardian  spirit, 
or  personal  Moneto  ;  and  he  resolved  to  make  use  of  his  utmost  power  to 
punish  and  humble  the  girl.  For  she  was  noted  in  the  tribe  for  her  co 
quetry,  and  had  treated  others,  who  were  every  way  her  equals,  as  she 
had  done  him.  He  resolved  on  a  singular  stratagem,  by  way  of  revenge. 
For  this  purpose,  he  walked  over  the  deserted  camp,  and  gathered  up  all 
the  bits  of  soiled  cloth,  clippings  of  finery,  and  cast  off  clothing,  and 
ornaments  which  had  either  been  left  or  lost.  These  he  carefully  picked 
out  of  the  snow,  into  which  some  of  them  had  been  trodden  and 
partially  buried,  and  conveyed  them  to  one  place.  The  motly  heap  of 
gaudy  and  soiled  stuffs,  he  restored  to  their  original  beauty,  and  deter 
mined  to  make  them  into  a  coat  and  leggins,  which  he  trimmed  with 
beads,  and  finished  and  decorated  after  the  best  fashion  of  his  tribe.  He 
then  made  a  pair  of  moccasins  and  garnished  them  with  beads,  a  bow  and 
arrows,  and  a  frontlet  and  feathers  for  the  head.  Having  done  this,  he 
searched  about  for  cast  out  bones  of  animals,  pieces  of  skins,  clippings  of 
dried  meat,  and  even  dirt,  and  having  cemented  them  together  with  snow,  he 
filled  the  clothes  with  these  things,  and  pressed  the  mass  firmly  in,  and 
fashioned  it  externally  in  all  respects,  like  a  tall  and  well  framed  man. 
He  put  a  bow  and  arrows  in  his  hands,  and  the  frontlet  on  his  head.  And 
having  finished  it,  he  brought  it  to  life,  and  the  image  stood  forth,  in  the 
most  favoured  lineaments  of  his  fellows.  Such  was  the  origin  of  Moowis, 
or  the  Dirt  and  Rag  Man. 

"  Follow  me,"  said  the  Beau-Man,  "  and  I  will  direct  you,  how  you  shall 
act."  He  was  indeed,  a  very  sightly  person,  and  as  they  entered  the  new 
encampment,  the  many  colours  of  his  clothes,  the  profusion  of  ornaments 
which  he  had  managed  to  give  him,  and  his  fine  manly  step,  and  animated 
countenance,  drew  all  eyes.  And  he  was  received  by  all,  both  old  and 
young,  with  marks  of  attention.  The  chief  invited  him  to  his  lodge,  and 
he  was  feasted  on  the  moose's  hump  and  the  finest  venison. 

But  no  one  was  better  pleased  with  the  handsome  stranger  than  Ma  mon 
da  go  kwa.  She  fell  in  love  with  him  at  the  first  sight,  and  he  was  an 
invited  guest  at  the  lodge  of  her  mother,  the  very  first  evening  of  his  ar 
rival.  The  Beau-man  went  with  him,  for  it  was  under  his  patronage  that 
he  had  been  introduced,  and,  in  truth,  he  had  another  motive  for  accom 
panying  him,  for  he  had  not  yet  wholly  subdued  his  feelings  of  admira 


166  TRADITIONARY    LEGENDS. 

tion  for  the  object,  against  whom  he  had,  nevertheless,  exerted  all  his 
necromantic  power,  and  he  held  himself  subject  to  any  favourable  turn, 
which  he  secretly  hoped  the  visit  might  take,  in  relation  to  himself.  But 
no  such  turn  occurred.  Moowis  attracted  the  chief  attention,  and  every 
eye  and  heart  were  alert  to  entertain  him.  In  this  effort  on  the  part  of 
his  entertainers,  they  had  well  nigh  revealed  his  true  character,  and  dis 
solved  him  into  his  original  elements  of  rags,  and  snow,  and  dirt ;  for  he 
was  assigned  the  most  prominent  place  before  the  fire :  this  was  a  degree 
of  heat  which  he  could  by  no  means  endure.  To  ward  it  off  he  put  a 
boy  between  himself  and  the  fire.  He  shifted  his  position  frequently,  and 
evaded,  by  dexterous  manoeuvres,  and  timely  remarks,  the  pressing  invi 
tation  of  his  host  to  sit  up,  and  enjoy  it.  He  so  managed  these  excuses,  as 
not  only  to  conceal  his  dread  of  immediate  dissolution,  but  to  secure  the 
further  approbation  of  the  fair  forest  girl,  who  could  not  but  admire  one 
who  had  so  brave  a  spirit  of  endurance  against  the  paralysing  effects  of 
cold. 

The  visit  proved  that  the  rejected  lover  had  well  calculated  the  effects 
of  his  plan.  He  withdrew  from  the  lodge,  and  Moowis  triumphed. 
Before  he  went,  he  saw  him  cross  the  lodge  to  the  coveted  abinos,  or  bride 
groom's  seat.  Marriage  in  the  forest  race,  is  a  simple  ceremony,  and 
where  the  impediments  of  custom  are  small,  there  is  but  little  time  de 
manded  for  their  execution.  The  dart  which  Ma  mon  da  go  kwa  had  so 
often  delighted  in  sending  to  the  hearts  of  her  admirers,  she  was  at  length 
fated  herself  to  receive.  She  had  married  an  image.  As  the  morning 
begun  to  break,  the  stranger  arose  and  adjusted  his  warrior's  plumes,  and 
took  his  forest  weapons  to  depart.  "  I  must  go,"  said  he,  "  for  I  have  an 
important  business  to  do,  and  there  are  many  hills  and  streams  between 
me  and  the  object  of  my  journey."  "  I  will  go  with  you,"  she  replied. 
"  It  is  too  far,"  he  rejoined,  "  and  you  are  ill  able  to  encounter  the  perils 
of  the  way."  "  It  is  not  so  far,  but  that  I  can  go,"  she  responded,  "  and 
there  are  no  dangers  which  I  will  not  fully  share  for  you." 

Moowis  returned  to  the  lodge  of  his  master,  and  detailed  to  him  the 
events  we  have  described.  Pity,  for  a  moment,  seized  the  breast  of  the 
rejected  youth.  He  regretted  that  she  should  thus  have  cast  herself  away 
upon  an  image  and  a  shadow,  when  she  might  have  been  mistress  of  the 
best  lodge  in  the  band.  "  But  it  is  her  own  folly,"  he  said,  "  she  has 
turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the  counsels  of  prudence,  and  she  must  submit  to  her 
fate." 

The  same  morning  the  Image-man  set  forth,  and  his  wife  followed  him, 
according  to  custom,  at  a  distance.  The  way  was  rough  and  intricate, 
and  she  could  not  keep  up  with  his  rapid  pace  ;  but  she  struggled  hard, 
and  perseveringly  to  overtake  him.  Moowis  had  been  long  out  of  sight, 
when  the  sun  arose,  and  commenced  upon  his  snow-formed  body  the 
work  of  dissolution.  He  began  to  melt  away,  and  fall  to  pieces.  As 
she  followed  him,  piece  after  piece  of  his  clothing  were  found  in  the  path. 


TRADITIONARY   LEGENDS.  167 

She  first  found  his  mittens,  then  his  moccasins,  then  his  leggins,  then  his 
coat,  and  other  parts  of  his  garments.  As  the  heat  unbound  them,  they 
had  all  returned  also  to  their  debased  and  filthy  condition.  The  way  led 
over  rocks,  through  wind  falls,  across  marshes.  It  whirled  about  to  all 
points  of  the  compass,  and  had  no  certain  direction  or  object.  Rags, 
bones,  leather,  beads,  feathers,  and  soiled  ribbons,  were  found,  but  she 
never  caught  the  sight  of  Moowis.  She  spent  the  day  in  wandering ;  and 
when  evening  came,  she  was  no  nearer  the  object  of  her  search  than  in 
the  morning,  but  the  snow  having  now  melted,  she  had  completely  lost 
his  track,  and  wandered  about,  uncertain  which  way  to  go,  and  in  a  state 
of  perfect  despair.  Finding  herself  lost,  she  begun,  with  bitter  cries,  to 
bewail  her  fate. 

"  Moowis,  Moowis,"  she  cried.  "  Nin  ge  won  e  win  ig,  ne  won  e  win  ig" 
— that  is — Moowis,  Moowis,  you  have  led  me  astray — you  are  leading  me 
astray.  And  with  this  cry  she  continued  to  wander  in  the  woods. 

Sometimes  the  village  girls  repeat  the  above  words,  varying  the  expres 
sions,  till  they  constitute  an  irregular  kind  of  song,  which,  according  to 
the  versions  of  a  friendly  hand,  may  be  set  (Town  as  follows  : — 

Moowis !  Moowis ! 

Forest  rover, 

Where  art  thou? 

Ah  my  bravest,  gayest  lover, 
Guide  me  now. 

Moowis !  Moowis ! 

Ah  believe  me, 
List  my  moan, 

Do  not — do  not,  brave  heart,  leave  me 
All  alone. 

Moowis !  Moowis ! 

Foot-prints  vanished, 
Whither  wend  I, 

Fated,  lost,  detested,  banished, 
Must  I  die. 

Moowis  !  Moowis ! 

Whither  goest, 
Eye-bright  lover, 

Ah  thou  ravenous  bird  that  knowest, 
I  see  you  hover. 

Circling — circling, 

As  I  wander, 
But  to  spy 

Where  I  fall,  and  then  to  batten, 
On  my  breast. 


THE  LONE  LIGHTNING. 

AN    ODJIBWA    TALE. 

A  LITTLE  orphan  boy  who  had  no  one  to  care  for  him,  was  once  living 
with  his  uncle,  who  treated  him  very  badly,  making  him  do  hard  things 
and  giving  him  very  little  to  eat ;  so  that  the  boy  pined  away,  he  never 
grew  much,  and  became,  through  hard  usage,  very  thin  and  light.  At 
last  the  uncle  felt  ashamed  of  this  treatment,  and  determined  to  make 
amends  for  it,  by  fattening  him  up,  but  his  real  object  was,  to  kill  him 
by  over-feeding.  He  told  his  wife  to  give  the  boy  plenty  of  bear's  meat, 
and  let  him  have  the  fat,  which  is  thought  to  be  the  best  part.  They 
were  both  very  assiduous  in  cramming  him,  and  one  day  came  near 
choking  him  to  death,  by  forcing  the  fat  down  his  throat.  The  boy 
escaped  and  fled  from  the  lodge.  He  knew  not  where  to  go,  but  wan 
dered  about.  When  night  came  on,  he  was  afraid  the  wild  beasts  would 
eat  him,  so  he  climbed  up  into  the  forks  of  a  high  pine  tree,  and  there 
ne  fell  asleep  in  the  branches,  and  had  an  aupoway,  or  ominous  dream. 

A  person  appeared  to  him  from  the  upper  sky,  and  said, "  My  poor  little 
lad,  I  pity  you,  and  the  bad  usage  you  have  received  from  your  uncle 
has  led  me  to  visit  you :  follow  me,  and  step  in  my  tracks. "  Immediately 
his  sleep  left  him,  and  he  rose  up  and  followed  his  guide,  mounting  up 
higher  and  higher  into  the  air,  until  he  reached  the  upper  sky.  Here 
twelve  arrows  were  put  into  his  hands,  and  he  was  told  that  there  were 
a  great  many  manitoes  in  the  northern  sky,  against  whom  he  must  go  to 
war,  and  try  to  waylay  and  shoot  them.  Accordingly  he  went  to  that 
part  of  the  sky,  and,  at  long  intervals,  shot  arrow  after  arrow,  until  he 
had  expended  eleven,  in  vain  attempt  to  kill  the  manitoes.  At  the 
flight  of  each  arrow,  there  was  a  long  and  solitary  streak  of  lightning  in 
the  sky — then  all  was  clear  again,  and  not  a  cloud  or  spot  could  be  seen. 
The  twelfth  arrow  he  held  a  long  time  in  his  hands,  and  looked  around 
keenly  on  every  side  to  spy  the  manitoes  he  was  after.  But  these  mani 
toes  were  very  cunning,  and  could  change  their  form  in  a  moment.  All 
they  feared  was  the  boy's  arrows,  for  these  were  magic  arrows,  which 
had  been  given  to  him  by  a  good  spirit,  and  had  power  to  kill  them,  if 
aimed  aright.  At  length,  the  boy  drew  up  his  last  arrow,  settled  in  his 
aim,  and  let  fly,  as  he  thought,  into  the  very  heart  of  the  chief  of  the 
manitoes  ;  but  before  the  arrow  reached  him,  he  changed  himself 
into  a  rock.  Into  this  rock,  the  head  of  the  arrow  sank  deep  and  stuck 
fast. 

"  Now  your  gifts  are  all  expended,"  cried  the  enraged  manito,  "  and  I 
will  make  an  example  of  your  audacity  and  pride  of  heart,  for  lift  ing  ^ 
your  bow  against  me" — and  so  saying,  he  transformed  the  boy  into  the 
Nazhik-a-wa  wa  sun,  or  Lone  Lightning,  which  may  be  observed  in  the 

northern  sky.,  to  this  day. 

168 


SKETCHES  OF  THE  LIVES  OF 

NOTED  BED  MEN  AND  ¥OIEN 

WHO  HAVE  APPEARED  ON  THE  WESTERN  CONTINENT, 


CONFESSIONS   OF    CATHERINE  OGEE  WYAN  AKWUT   OKWA; 
OR    THE    WOMAN    OF    THE    BLUE-ROBED    CLOUD, 


THE  PROPHETESS  OF  CHEGOIMEGON. 


[These  confessions  of  the  Western  Pythoness  were  made  after  she  had  relin 
quished  the  prophetic  office,  discarded  all  the  ceremonies  of  the  Indian  Meddwinand. 
Jesukeeurin,  and  united  herself  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which,  up  to 
our  latest  dates,  she  remained  a  consistent  memher.  They  are  narrated  in  her  own 
words.] 

WHEN  I  was  a  girl  of  about  twelve  or  thirteen  years  of  age,  my  mother 
told  me  to  look  out  for  something  that  would  happen  to  me.  Accordingly, 
one  morning  early,  in  the  middle  of  winter,  I  found  an  unusual  sign,  and 
ran  off,  as  far  from  the  lodge  as  I  could,  and  remained  there  until  my 
mother  came  and  found  me  out.  She  knew  what  was  the  matter,  and 
brought  me  nearer  to  the  family  lodge,  and  bade  me  help  her  in  making 
a  small  lodge  of  branches  of  the  spruce  tree.  She  told  me  to  remain 
there,  and  keep  away  from  every  one,  and  as  a  diversion,  to  keep  myself 
employed  in  chopping  wood,  and  that  she  would  bring  me  plenty  of  pre 
pared  bass  wood  bark  to  twist  into  twine.  She  told  me  she  would  come 
to  see  me,  in  two  days,  and  that  in  the  meantime  I  must  not  even  taste 
snow. 

I  did  as  directed  ;  at  the  end  of  two  days  she  came  to  see  me.  I 
thought  she  would  surely  bring  me  something  to  eat,  but  to  my  disap 
pointment  she  brought  nothing.  I  suffered  more  from  thirst,  than  hun 
ger,  though  I  felt  my  stomach  gnawing.  My  mother  sat  quietly  down 
and  said  (after  ascertaining  that  I  had  not  tasted  anything,  as  she 
directed),  "  My  child,  you  are  the  youngest  of  your  sisters,  and  none  are 
now  left  me  of  all  my  sons  and  children,  but  you  four"  (alluding  to  her 
two  elder  sisters,  herself  and  a  little  son,  still  a  mere  lad).  "  Who," 
she  continued,  "  will  take  care  of  us  poor  women  ?  Now,  my  daughter, 
listen  to  me,  and  try  to  obey.  Blacken  your  face  and  fast  really,  that 
the  Master  of  Life  may  have  pity  on  you  and  me,  and  on  us  all.  Do 
not,  in  the  least,  deviate  from  my  counsels,  and  in  two  days  more,  I 

169 


170  THE    PROPHETESS    OF    CHEGOIMEGON. 

will  come  to  you.  He  will  help  you,  if  you  are  determined  to  do  what 
is  right,  and  tell  me,  whether  you  are  favored  or  not,  by  the  true  Great 
Spirit ;  and  if  your  visions  are  not  good,  reject  them."  So  saying,  she 
departed. 

I  took  my  little  hatchet  and  cut  plenty  of  wood,  and  twisted  the  cord 
that  was  to  be  used  in  sewing  ap  puk  way  oon  un,  or  mats,  for  the  use  of- 
the  family.  Gradually,  I  began  to  feel  less  appetite,  but  my  thirst  con 
tinued  ;  still  I  was  fearful  of  touching  the  snow  to  allay  it,  by  sucking  it, 
as  my  mother  had  told  me  that  if  I  did  so,  though  secretly,  the  Great 
Spirit  would  see  me,  and  the  lesser  spirits  also,  and  that  my  fasting 
would  be  of  no  use.  So  I  continued  to  fast  till  the  fourth  day,  when  my 
mother  came  with  a  little  tin  dish,  and  filling  it  with  snow,  she  came  to 
my  lodge,  and  was  well  pleased  to  find  that  I  had  followed  her  injunc 
tions.  She  melted  the  snow,  and  told  me  to  drink  it.  I  did  so,  and 
felt  refreshed,  but  had  a  desire  for  more,  which  she  told  me  would 
not  do,  and  I  contented  myself  with  what  she  had  given  me.  She  again 
told  me  to  get  and  follow  a  good  vision — a  vision  that  might  not  only  do 
us  good,  but  also  benefit  mankind,  if  I  could.  She  then  left  me,  and  for 
two  days  she  did  not  come  near  me,  nor  any  human  being,  and  I  was 
left  to  my  own  reflections.  The  night  of  the  sixth  day,  I  fancied  a  voice 
called  to  me,  and  said  :  "  Poor  child !  I  pity  your  condition  ;  come,  you 
are  invited  this  way  ;"  and  I  thought  the  voice  proceeded  from  a  certain 
distance  from  my  lodge.  I  obeyed  the  summons,  and  going  to  the  spot 
from  which  the  voice  came,  found  a  thin  shining  path,  like  a  silver  cord, 
which  I  followed.  It  led  straight  forward,  and,  it  seemed,  upward. 
No.  3.  After  going  a  short  distance  I  stood  still,  and  saw  on  my  right 
hand  the  new  moon,  with  a  flame  rising  from  the  top  like  a  candle, 
which  threw  around  a  broad  light.  No.  4.  On  the  left  appeared  the 
sun,  near  the  point  of  its  setting.  No.  11.  I  went  on,  and  I  beheld  on 
my  right  the  face  of  Kau  ge  gag  be  qua,  or  the  everlasting  woman,  No. 
5,  who  told  me  her  name,  and  said  to  me,  "  I  give  you  my  name,  and 
you  may  give  it  to  another.  I  also  give  you  that  which  I  have,  life  ever 
lasting.  I  give  you  long  life  on  the  earth,  and  skill  in  saving  life  in 
others.  Go,  you  are  called  on  high." 

I  went  on,  and  saw  a  man  standing  with  a  large  circular  body,  and 
rays  from  his  head,  like  horns.  No.  6.  He  said,  "  Fear  not,  my  name  is 
Monedo  Wininees,  or  the  Little  man  Spirit.  I  give  this  name  to  your 
first  son.  It  is  my  life.  Go  to  the  place  you  are  called  to  visit."  I  fol 
lowed  the  path  till  I  could  see  that  it  led  up  to  an  opening  in  the  sky, 
when  I  heard  a  voice,  and  standing  still,  saw  the  figure  of  a  man  standing 
near  the  path,  whose  head  was  surrounded  with  a  brilliant  halo,  and  his 
breast  was  covered  with  squares.  No.  7.  He  said  to  me  :  "  Look  at 
me,  my  name  is  0  Shau  wau  e  geeghick,  or  the  Bright  Blue  Sky.  I  am 
the  veil  that  covers  the  opening  into  the  sky.  Stand  and  listen  to  me. 


CONFESSIONS    OF     THE  171 

Do  not  be  afraid.  I  am  going  to  endow  you  with  gifts  of  life,  and  put 
you  in  array  that  you  may  withstand  and  endure."  Immediately  I  saw 
myself  encircled  with  bright  points  which  rested  against  me  like  needles, 
but  2;ave  me  no  pain.,  and  they  fell  at  my  feet.  No.  9.  This  was  repeat 
ed  several  times,  and  at  each  time  they  fell  to  the  ground.  He  said, 
u  wait  and  do  not  fear,  till  I  have  said  and  done  all  I  am  about  to  do." 
I  then  felt  different  instruments,  first  like  awls,  and  then  like  nails  stuck 
into  my  flesh,  but  neither  did  they  give  me  pain,  but  like  the  needles,  fell 
at  my  feet,  as  often  as  they  appeared.  He  then  said,  "  that  is  good," 
meaning  my  trial  by  these  points.  "  You  will  see  length  of  days.  Ad 
vance  a  little  farther,"  said  he.  I  did  so,  and  stood  at  the  commence 
ment  of  the  opening.  "  You  have  arrived,"  said  he, "  at  the  limityou  can 
not  pass.  I  give  you  my  name,  you  can  give  it  to  another.  No^.v,  re 
turn  !  Look  around  you.  There  is  a  conveyance  for  you.  No.  10.  Do  not 
be  afraid  to  get  on  its  back,  and  when  you  get  to  your  lodge,  you  must 
take  that  which  sustains  the  human  body."  I  turned,  and  saw  a  kind  of 
fish  swimming  in  the  air,  and  getting  upon  it  as  directed,  was  carried 
back  with  celerity,  my  hair  floating  behind  me  in  the  air.  And  as  soon 
as  I  got  back,  my  vision  ceased. 

In  the  morning,  being  the  sixth  day  of  my  fast,  my  mother  came  with 
a  little  bit  of  dried  trout.     But  such  was  my  sensitiveness  to  all  sounds, 
and  my  increased  power  of  scent,  produced  by  fasting,  that  before  she. 
came  in  sight  I  heard  her,  while  a  great  way  off,  and  when  she  came  in,  I 
could  not  bear  the  smell  of  the  fish  or  herself  either.     She  said,  "  I  have 
brought  something  for  you  to  eat,  only  a  mouthful,  to  prevent  your  dy 
ing."     She  prepared  to  cook  it,  but  I  said,  "  Mother,  forbear,  I  do  not 
wish  to  eat  it — the  smell  is  offensive  to  me."     She  accordingly  left  off 
preparing  to  cook  the  fish,  and  again  encouraged  me  to  persevere,  and  try  to 
become  a  comfort  to  her  in  her  old  age  and  bereaved  state,  and  left  me. 
I  attempted  to  cut  wood,  as  usual,  but  in  the  effort  I  fell  back  on  the 
snow,  from  weariness,  and  lay  some  time ;  at  last  I  made  an  effort  and 
rose,  and  went  to  my  lodge  and  lay  down.     I  again  saw  the  vision,  and 
each  person  who  had  before  spoken  to  me,  and  heard  the  promises  of 
different  kinds  made  to  me,  and  the  songs.     I  went  the  same  path  which 
I  had  pursued  before,  and  met  with  the  same  reception.     I  also  had 
another  vision,  or  celestial  visit,  which  I  shall   presently  relate.      My 
mother  came  again  on  the  seventh  day,  and  brought  me  some  pounded 
corn  boiled  in  snow  water ,  for  she  said  I  must  not  drink  water  from  lake 
or  river.     After  taking  it,  I  related  my  vision  to  her.     She  said  it  was 
good,  and  spoke  to  me  to  continue  my  fast  three  days  longer.     I  did  so  ; 
at  the  end  of  which  she  took  me  home,  and  made  a  feast  in  honor  of  my 
success,  and  invited  a  great  many  guests.     I  was  told  to  eat  sparingly, 
and  to  take  nothing  too  hearty  or  substantial ;  but  this  was  unnecessary, 
for  my  abstinence  had  made  my  senses  so  acute,  that  all  animal  food  had 
a  gross  and  disagreeable  odor. 


172  PROPHETESS    OF    CHEGOIMEGON. 

After  the  seventh  day  of  my  fast  (she  continued),  while  I  was 
lying  in  my  lodge,  I  saw  a  dark  round  object  descending  from  the  sky 
like  a  round  stone,  and  enter  my  lodge.  As  it  came  near,  I  saw  that 
it  had  small  feet  and  hands  like  a  human  body.  It  spoke  to  me  and  said, 
"  I  give  you  the  gift  of  seeing  into  futurity,  that  you  may  use  it,  for  the 
benefit  of  yourself  and  the  Indians — your  relations  and  tribes-people." 
It  then  departed,  but  as  it  went  away,  it  assumed  wings,  and  looked  to 
me  like  the  red-headed  woodpecker. 

In  consequence  of  being  thus  favored,  I  assumed  the  arts  of  a  medicine 
woman  and  a  prophetess  ;  but  never  those  of  a  Wabeno.  The  first 
time  I  exercised  the  prophetical  art,  was  at  the  strong  and  repeated  soli 
citations  of  my  friends.  It  was  in  the  winter  season,  and  they  were  then 
encamped  west  of  the  Wisacoda,  or  Brule  river  of  Lake  Superior,  and 
between  it  and  the  plains  west.  There  were,  besides  my  mother's 
family  and  relatives,  a  considerable  number  of  families.  The}T  had 
been  some  time  at  the  place,  and  were  near  starving,  as  they  could  find 
no  game.  One  evening  the  chief  of  the  party  came  into  my  mother's 
lodge.  I  had  lain  down,  and  was  supposed  to  be  asleep,  and  he  request 
ed  of  my  mother  that  she  would  allow  me  to  try  my  skill  to  relieve  them. 
My  mother  spoke  to  me,  and  after  some  conversation,  she  gave  her  con 
sent.  I  told  them  to  build  the  Jee  suk  aun,  or  prophet's  lodge,  strong) 
and  gave  particular  directions  for  it.  I  directed  that  it  should  consist  of 
ten  posts  or  saplings,  each  of  a  different  kind  of  wood,  which  I  named. 
When  it  was  finished,  and  tightly  wound  with  skins,  the  entire  population 
of  the  encampment  assembled  around  it  and  I  went  in,  taking  only  a 
small  drum.  I  immediately  knelt  down,  and  holding  my  head  near  the 
ground,  in  a  position  as  near  as  may  be  prostrate,  began  beating  my 
drum,  and  reciting  my  songs  or  incantations.  The  lodge  commenced 
shaking  violently,  by  supernatural  means.  I  knew  this,  by  the  com 
pressed  current  of  air  above,  and  the  noise  of  motion.  This  being  regard 
ed  by  me,  and  by  all  without,  as  a  proof  of  the  presence  of  the  spirits  I 
consulted,  I  ceased  beating  and  singing,  and  lay  still,  waiting  for  questions, 
in  the  position  I  had  at  first  assumed. 

The  first  question  put  to  me,  was  in  relation  to  the  game,  and  where 
it  was  to  be  found.  The  response  was  given  by  the  orbicular  spirit, 
who  had  appeared  to  me.  He  said,  "  How  short-sighted  you  are  f 
If  you  will  go  in  a  west  direction,  you  will  find  game  in  abundance." 
Next  day  the  camp  was  broken  up,  and  they  all  moved  westward,  the 
hunters,  as  usual,  going  far  ahead.  They  had  not  proceeded  far  beyond 
the  bounds  of  their  former  hunting  circle,  when  they  came  upon  tracks 
of  moose,  and  that  day,  they  killed  a  female  and  two  young  moose, 
nearly  full-grown.  They  pitched  their  encampment  anew,  and  had 
abundance  of  animal  food  in  this  new  positior. 

My  reputation  was    established  by   this  success,  and  I  was  after- 


THE    PROPHETESS    OF    CHEGOIMEGON.  173 

waras  noted  in  the  tribe,  in  the  art  of  a  medicine  woman,  and  sung 
the  songs  which  I  have  given  to  you.  About  four  years  after,  I  was 
married  to  0  Mush  Kow  Egeezhick,  or  the  Strong  Sky,  who  was  a 
very  active  and  successful  hunter,  and  kept  his  lodge  well  supplied 
with  food  ;  and  we  lived  happy.  After  I  had  had  two  children,  a  girl 
and  a  boy,  we  went  out,  as  is  the  custom  of  the  Indians  in  the  spring,  to 
visit  the  white  settlements.  One  night,  while  we  were  encamped  at  the 
head  of  the  portage  at  Pauwating  (the  Falls  of  St.  Mary's),  angry  words 
passed  between  my  husband  and  a  half  Frenchman  named  Gaultier,  who, 
with  his  two  cousins,  in  the  course  of  the  dispute,  drew  their  knives  and  a 
tomahawk,  and  stabbed  and  cut  him  in  four  or  five  places,  in  his  body,  head 
and  thighs.  This  happened  the  first  year  that  the  Americans  came  to 
that  place  (1822).  He  had  gone  out  at  a  late  hour  in  the  evening,  to 
visit  the  tent  of  Gaultier.  Having  been  urged  by  one  of  the  trader's 
men  to  take  liquor  that  evening,  and  it  being  already  late,  I  desired  him 
not  to  go,  but  to  defer  his  visit  till  next  day  ;  and  after  he  had  left  the 
lodge,  I  felt  a  sudden  presentiment  of  evil,  and  I  went  after  him,  and  re 
newed  my  efforts  in  vain.  He  told  me  to  return,  and  as  I  had  two  chil 
dren  in  the  lodge,  the  youngest  of  whom,  a  boy,  was  still  in  his  cradle, 
and  then  ill,  I  sat  up  with  him  late,  and  waited  and  waited,  till  a  late 
hour,  and  then  fell  asleep  from  exhaustion.  I  slept  very  sound.  The 
first  I  knew,  was  a  violent  shaking  from  a  girl,  a  niece  of  Gaultier's, 
who  told  me  my  husband  and  Gaultier  were  all  the  time  quarrelling.  I 
arose,  and  went  up  the  stream  to  Gaultier's  camp  fire.  It  was  nearly 
out,  and  I  tried  in  vain  to  make  it  blaze.  I  looked  into  his  tent,  but  all 
was  dark  and  not  a  soul  there.  They  had  suddenly  fled,  although  I  did 
not  at  the  moment  know  the  cause.  I  tried  to  make  a  light  to  find  my 
husband,  but  could  find  nothing  dry,  for  it  had  rained  very  hard  the  day 
before.  After  being  out  a  while  my  vision  became  clearer,  and  turning 
toward  the  river  side,  I  saw  a  dark  object  lying  near  the  shore,  on  a 
grassy  opening.  I  was  attracted  by  something  glistening,  which  turned 
out  to  be  his  ear-rings.  I  thought  he  was  asleep,  and  in  stooping  to 
awake  him,  I  slipped  and  fell  on  my  knees.  I  had  slipped  in  his  blood 
on  the  grass,  and  putting  my  hand  on  his  face,  found  him  dead.  In  the 
morning  the  Indian  agent  came  with  soldiers  from  the  fort,  to  see  what 
had  happened,  but  the  murderer  and  all  his  bloody  gang  of  relatives  had 
fled.  The  agent  gave  orders  to  have  the  body  buried  in  the  old  Indian 
burial  ground,  below  the  Falls. 

My  aged  mother  was  encamped  about  a  mile  off,  at  this  time.  I  took 
my  two  children  in  the  morning,  and  fled  to  her  lodge.  She  had  just 
heard  of  the  murder,  and  was  crying  as  I  entered.  I  reminded  her  that 
it  was  an  act  of  providence,  to  which  we  must  submit.  She  said  it  was 
for  me  and  my  poor  helpless  children  that  she  was  crying — that  I  was 
left  as  she  had  been,  years  before,  with  nobody  to  provide  for  us- 


174  RULING    CHIEF    OF    THE    MIAMIS. 

With  her  I  returned  to  my  native  country  at  Chegoimegon  on  Lake 
Superior. 

Thus  far,  her  own  narrative.  We  hope,  in  a  future  number,  to  give 
further  particulars  of  her  varied,  and  rather  eventful  life  ;  together  with 
specimens  of  her  medicine,  and  prophetic  songs. 


RULING  CHIEF  OF  THE  MIAMIS. 

DIED,  on  the  13th  inst.  (August,  1841),  at  his  residence  on  the  St 
Mary's,  four  and  a  half  miles  south-west  of  this  city,  John  B.  Richardville, 
principal  chief  of  the  Miami  nation  of  Indians,  aged  about  eighty  years. 

Chief  Richardville,  or  "  Piskewah"  (which  is  an  Indian  name,  mean 
ing  in  English  "  wild-cat"),  was  born  on  the  point  across  the  Maumee 
river,  opposite  this  city,  under  or  near  a  large  apple  tree,  on  the  farm  of 
the  late  Colonel  Coles  ;  and  at  a  very  early  age,  by  succession,  became 
the  chief  of  the  tribe,  his  mother  being  chieftainess  at  the  time  of  his 
birth.  His  situation  soon  brought  him  in  contact  with  the  whites,  and  he 
was  in  several  engagements,  the  most  important  of  which  was  the  cele 
brated  slaughter  on  the  St.  Joseph  River,  one  mile  north  of  this  city, 
designated  as  "  Harmar's  Defeat,"  where  several  hundred  whites,  under 
General  Harmar,  were  cut  off  in  attempting  to  ford  the  river,  by  the  In 
dians,  who  lay  in  ambush  on  the  opposite  shore,  by  firing  upon  the 
whites  when  in  the  act  of  crossing  ;  which  slaughter  crimsoned  the  river 
a  number  of  days  for  several  miles  below  with  the  blood  of  the  un 
fortunate  victims. 

The  Chief  is  universally  spoken  of  as  having  been  kind  and  humane  to 
prisoners — far  more  so  than  most  of  his  race  ;  and  as  soon  as  peace  was 
restored,  became  a  worthy  citizen,  and  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  the 
whites  to  the  fullest  extent.  He  spoke  good  French  and  English,  a-.v 
well  as  his  native  tongue  ;  and  for  many  years  his  house,  which  is  pleas 
antly  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  St.  Mary's,  and  which  was  always 
open  for  the  reception  of  friends — was  a  place  of  resort  for  parties  of 
pleasure,  who  always  partook  of  the  hospitality  of  his  house. 

The  old  man  was  strictly  honest,  but  remarkably  watchful  of  his  in 
terest,  and  amassed  a  fortune  exceeding  probably  a  million  of  dollars, 
consisting  of  nearly  $200,000  in  specie  on  hand,  and  the  balance  in  the 
most  valuable  kind  of  real  estate,  which  he  has  distributed  by  "  will" 
among  his  numerous  relations  with  "  even-handed  justice."  He  had 
always  expressed  a  great  anxiety  to  live,  but  when  he  became  conscious 
that  the  time  of  his  departure  was  near  at  hand,  ^e  resigned  himself  with 
perfect  composure,  saying  that  it  was  ordered  that  all  must  die,  and  he 
was  then  ready  and  willing  to  answer  the  call  of  the  "  Great  Spirit." 
His  remains  were  deposited  in  the  Catholic  burying-ground  with  reli 
gious  ceremonies. — Fort  Wayne  (Ind.)  Sentinel. 


THE  MAGICIAN  OF  LAKE  HURON. 

AM     OTTOWA    TALK     RELATED    BY     NABUNWA     IN    THE     INDIAN    TONGUE,  TO    MR. 
GEORGE   JOHNSTON. 

AT  the  time  that  the  Ottowas  inhabited  the  Manatoline  Islands, 
in  Lake  Huron,  there  was  a  famous  magician  living  amongst  them  whose 
name  was  Masswaweinini,  or  the  Living  Statue.  It  happened,  by  the 
fortune  of  war,  that  the  Ottowa  tribe  were  driven  off  that  chain  of 
islands  by  the  Iroquois,  and  obliged  to  flee  away  to  the  country  lying 
between  Lake  Superior  and  the  Upper  Mississippi,  to  the  banks  of  a 
lake  which  is  still  called,  by  the  French,  and  in  memory  of  this  migra 
tion,  Lac  Courtwiette,  or  the  lake  of  the  Cut-ears,  a  term  which  is  their 
nom  de  guerre  for  this  tribe.  But  the  magician  Masswaweinini  re 
mained  behind  on  the  wide-stretching  and  picturesque  Manatoulins,  a 
group  of  islands  which  had  been  deemed,  from  the  earliest  times,  a  fa 
vorite  residence  of  the  manitoes  or  spirits.  His  object  was  to  act  as  a 
sentinel  to  his  countrymen,  and  keep  a  close  watch  on  their  enemies,  the 
Iroquois,  that  he  might  give  timely  information  of  their  movements. 
He  had  with  him  two  boys ;  with  their  aid  he  paddled  stealthily  around 
the  shores,  kept  himself  secreted  in  nooks  and  bays,  and  hauled  up  his 
canoe  every  night,  into  thick  woods,  and  carefully  obliterated  his  tracks 
upon  the  sand. 

One  day  he  rose  very  early,  and  started  on  a  hunting  excursion,  leav 
ing  the  boys  asleep,  and  limiting  himself  to  the  thick  woods,  lest  he 
should  be  discovered.  At  length  he  came  unexpectedly  to  the  borders 
of  an  extensive  open  plain.  After  gazing  around  him,  and  seeing  no 
one,  he  directed  his  steps  across  it,  intending  to  strike  the  opposite  side 
of  it ;  while  travelling,  he  discovered  a  man  of  small  stature,  who  ap 
peared  suddenly  on  the  plain  before  him,  and  advanced  to  meet  him. 
He  wore  a  red  feather  on  his  head,  and  coming  up  with  a  familiar  air, 
accosted  Masswaweinini  by  name,  and  said  gaily,  "  Where  are  you 
going  ?"  He  then  took  out  his  smoking  apparatus,  and  invited  him  to 
smoke.  "  Pray,"  said  he,  while  thus  engaged,  "  wherein  does  your 
strength  lie."  "  My  strength,"  answered  Masswaweinini,  "  is  similar 
to  the  human  race,  and  common  to  the  strength  given  to  them,  and  no 
stronger."  "  We  must  wrestle,"  said  the  man  of  the  red  feather.  "  If 
you  should  make  me  fall,  you  will  say  to  me,  I  have  thrown  you,  Wa 
ge  me  na.'y 

As  soon  as  they  had  finished  smoking  and  put  up  their  pipe,  the  wrest 
ling  began.     For  a  long  time  the  strife  was  doubtful,    The  strength  of 

175 


176  TALES    OF    A    WIGWAM. 

Masswaweinini  was  every  moment  growing  fainter.  The  man  of  the  red 
feather,  though  small  of  stature,  proved  himself  very  active,  but  at 
length  he  was  foiled  and  thrown  to  the  ground.  Immediately  his  adver 
sary  cried  out,  "  I  have  thrown  you :  wa  ge  me  na  ;"  and  in  an  instant 
his  antagonist  had  vanished.  On  looking  to  the  spot  where  he  had  fallen, 
he  discovered  a  crooked  ear  of  mondamin,  or  Indian  corn,  lying  on  the 
ground,  with  the  usual  red  hairy  tassel  at  the  top.  While  he  was  gaz 
ing  at  this  strange  sight,  and  wondering  what  it  could  mean,  a  voice  ad 
dressed  him  from  the  ground.  "  Now,"  said  the  speaking  ear,  for  'He- 
voice  came  from  it,  "  divest  me  of  my  covering — leave  nothing  to  hide 
my  body  from  your  eyes.  You  must  then  separate  me  into  parts,  pull 
ing  off  my  body  from  the  spine  upon  which  I  grow.  Throw  me  into 
different  parts  of  the  plain.  Then  break  my  spine  and  scatter  it  in  small 
pieces  near  the  edge  of  the  woods,  and  return  to  visit  the  place,  after 
one  moon." 

Masswaweinini  obeyed  these  directions,  and  immediately  set  out  on  his 
return  to  his  lodge.  On  the  way  he  killed  a  deer,  and  on  reaching  his 
canoe,  he  found  the  boys  still  asleep.  He  awoke  them  and  told  them  to 
cook  his  venison,  but  he  carefully  concealed  from  them  his  adventure. 
At  the  expiration  of  the  moon  he  again,  alone,  visited  his  wrestling 
ground,  and  to  his  surprise,  found  the  plain  filled  with  the  spikes  and 
blades  of  new  grown  corn.  In  the  place  where  he  had  thrown  the  pieces 
of  cob,  he  found  pumpkin  vines  growing  in  great  luxuriance.  He  con 
cealed  this  discovery  also,  carefully  from  the  young  lads,  and  after  his 
return  busied  himself  as  usual,  in  watching  the  movements  of  his  enemies 
along  the  coasts  of  the  island.  This  he  continued,  till  summer  drew 
near  its  close.  He  then  directed  his  canoe  to  the  coast  of  that  part 
of  the  island  where  he  had  wrestled  with  the  Red  Plume,  drew  up  his 
ca*noe,  bid  the  lads  stay  by  it,  and  again  visited  his  wrestling  ground. 
He  found  the  corn  in  full  ear,  and  pumpkins  of  an  immense  size.  He 
plucked  ears  of  corn,  and  gathered  some  of  the  pumpkins,  when  a  voice 
again  addressed  him  from  the  cornfield.  "  Masswawe'inini,  you  have 
conquered  me.  Had  you  not  done  so,  your  existence  would  have  been 
forfeited.  Victory  has  crowned  your  strength,  and  from  henceforth  you 
shall  never  be  in  want  of  my  body.  It  will  be  nourishment  for  the  hu 
man  race."  Thus  his  ancestors  received  the  gift  of  corn. 

Masswaweinini  now  returned  to  his  canoe,  and  informed  the  young 
men  of  his  discovery,  and  showed  them  specimens.  They  were  aston 
ished  and  delighted  with  the  novelty. 

There  were,  in  those  days,  many  wonderful  things  done  on  these 
islands.  One  night,  while  Masswaweinini  was  lying  down,  he  heard 
voices  speaking,  but  he  still  kept  his  head  covered,  as  if  he  had  not 
heard  them.  One  voice  said,  "  This  is  Masswaweinini,  and  we  must  get 
his  heart."  "  In  what  way  can  we  get  it  ?"  said  another  voice.  "  You 


TALES    OF    A    WIGWAM.  177 

must  put  your  hand  in  his  mouth,"  replied  the  first  voice,  "  and  draw  it 
out  that  way."  Masswaweinini  still  kept  quiet,  and  did  not  stir.  He 
soon  felt  the  hand  of  a  person  thrust  in  his  mouth.  When  sufficiently 
far  in,  he  bit  off  the  fingers,  and  thus  escaped  the  danger.  The  voices 
then  retired,  and  he  was  no  further  molested.  On  examining  the  fingers 
in  the  morning,  what  was  his  surprise  to  find  them  long  wampum  beads, 
which  are  held  in  such  high  estimation  by  all  the  Indian  tribes.  He  had 
slept,  as  was  his  custom,  in  the  thick  woods.  On  going  out  to  the  open 
shore,  at  a  very  early  hour,  he  saw  a  canoe  at  a  small  distance,  tempora 
rily  drawn  up  on  the  beach  ;  on  coming  closer,  he  found  a  man  in  the 
bows  and  another  in  the  stern,  with  their  arms  and  hands  extended  in  a 
fixed  position.  One  of  them  had  lost  its  fingers :  it  was  evidently  the 
man  who  had  attempted  to  thrust  his  arm  down  his  throat.  They  were 
two  Pukwudjininees,  or  fairies.  But  on  looking  closer,  they  were  found 
to  be  transformed  into  statues  of  stone.  He  took  these  stone  images  on 
shore,  and  set  them  up  in  the  woods. 

Their  canoe  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  structures  which  it  is  possi 
ble  to  imagine,  four  fathoms  in  length,  and  filled  with  bags  of  treasures 
of  every  description  and  of  the  most  exquisite  workmanship.  These 
bags  were  of  different  weight,  according  to  their  contents.  He  busied 
himself  in  quickly  carrying  them  into  the  woods,  together  with  the  canoe, 
which  he  concealed  in  a  cave.  One  of  the  fairy  images  then  spoke  to 
him  and  said  :  "  In  this  manner,  the  Ottowa  canoes  will  hereafter  be 
loaded,  when  they  pass  along  this  coast,  although  your  nation  are  driven 
away  by  their  cruel  enemies  the  Iroquois."  The  day  now  began  to  dawn 
fully,  when  he  returned  to  his  two  young  companions,  who  were  still 
asleep.  He  awoke  them,  and  exultingly  bid  them  cook,  for  he  had 
brought  abundance  of  meat  and  fish,  and  other  viands,  the  gifts  of  the 
fairies. 

After  this  display  of  good  fortune,  he  bethought  him  of  his  aged  father 
and  mother,  who  were  in  exile  at  the  Ottowa  lake.  To  wish,  and  to 
accomplish  his  wish,  were  but  the  work  of  an  instant  with  Mass- 
waweinini. 

One  night  as  he  lay  awake,  reflecting  on  their  condition,  far  away 
from  their  native  fields,  and  in  exile,  he  resolved  to  visit  them,  and 
bring  them  back  to  behold  and  to  participate  in  his  abundance.  To 
a  common  traveller,  it  would  be  a  journey  of  twenty  or  thirty  days, 
but  Masswaweinini  was  at  their  lodge  before  daylight.  He  found  them 
asleep,  and  took  them  up  softly  in  his  arms  and  flew  away  with  them 
through  the  air,  and  brought  them  to  his  camp  on  the  Manatolines,  or 
Spirit's  Islands.  When  they  awoke,  their  astonishment  was  at  its  high 
est  pitch  ;  and  was  only  equalled  by  their  delight  in  finding  themselves 
in  their  son's  lodge,  in  their  native  country,  and  surrounded  with  abun 
dance. 


178  TALES    OF    A    WIGWAM. 

Masswaweinini  went  and  built  them  a  lodge,  near  the  corn  and  wrest 
ling  plain.  He  then  plucked  some  ears  of  the  corn,  and  taking  some  of 
the  pumpkins,  brought  them  to  his  father  and  mother.  He  then  told 
them  how  he  had  obtained  the  precious  gift,  by  wrestling  with  a  spirit  in 
red  plumes,  and  that  there  was  a  great  abundance  of  it  in  his  fields.  He 
also  told  them  of  the  precious  canoe  of  the  fairies,  loaded  with  sacks  of 
the  most  costly  and  valuable  articles.  But  one  thing  seemed  necessary 
to  complete  the  happiness  of  his  father,  which  he  observed  by  seeing 
him  repeatedly  at  night  looking  into  his  smoking  pouch.  He  compre 
hended  his  meaning  in  a  moment.  "  It  is  tobacco,  my  father,  that  you 
want.  You  shall  also  have  this  comfort  in  two  days."  "  But  where," 
replied  the  old  man,  "  can  you  get  it — away  from  all  supplies,  and  sur 
rounded  by  your  enemies  ?"  "  My  enemies,"  he  answered, "  shall  sup 
ply  it — I  will  go  over  to  the  Nadowas  of  the  Bear  totem,  living  at 
Penetanguishine. " 

The  old  man  endeavored  to  dissuade  him  from  the  journey,  knowing 
their  blood-thirsty  character,  but  in  vain.  Masswaweinini  determined 
immediately  to  go.  It  was  now  winter  weather,  the  lake  was  frozen 
over,  but  he  set  out  on  the  ice,  and  although  it  is  forty  leagues,  he  reach 
ed  Penetanguishine  the  same  evening.  The  Nadowas  discerned  him 
coming — they  were  amazed  at  the  swiftness  of  his  motions,  and  thinking 
him  somewhat  supernatural,  feared  him,  and  invited  him  to  rest  in  their 
lodges,  but  he  thanked  them,  saying  that  he  preferred  making  a  fire 
near  the  shore.  In  the  evening  they  visited  him,  and  were  anxious  to 
know  the  object  of  his  journey,  at  so  inclement  a  season.  He  said  it  was 
merely  to  get  some  tobacco  for  his  father.  They  immediately  made  a 
contribution  of  the  article  and  gave  it  to  him.  During  the  night  they 
however  laid  a  plot  to  kill  him.  Some  of  the  old  men  rushed  into  his 
lodge,  their  leader  crying  out  to  him,  "  You  are  a  dead  man."  "  No,  I 
am  not,"  said  Masswaweinini,  "  but  you  are,"  accompanying  his  words 
wfth  a  blow  of  his  tomahawk,  which  laid  the  Nadowa  dead  at  his  feet. 
Another  and  another  came,  to  supply  the  place  of  their  fallen  comrade,  but 
he  despatched  them  in  like  manner,  as  quickly  as  they  came,  until  he  had 
killed  six.  He  then  took  all  the  tobacco  from  their  smoking  pouches. 
By  this  time,  the  day  began  to  dawn,  when  he  set  out  for  his  father's 
lodge,  which  he  reached  with  incredible  speed,  and  before  twilight, 
spread  out  his  trophies  before  the  old  man. 

When  spring  returned,  his  cornfield  grew  up,  without  planting,  or 
any  care  on  his  part,  and  thus  the  maize  was  introduced  among  his 
people  and  their  descendants,  who  have  ever  been  noted,  and  are  at  this 
day,  for  their  fine  crops  of  this  grain,  and  their  industry  in  its  cultiva 
tion.  It  is  from  their  custom  of  trading  in  this  article,  that  this  tribe  are 
called  Ottowas. 


CORN-PLANTING,  AND  ITS  INCIDENTS. 

THE  zea,  mais,  originally  furnished  the  principal  article  of  subsistence 
among  all  the  tribes  of  this  race,  north  and  south.  It  laid  at  the  founda 
tion  of  the  Mexican  and  Peruvian  types  of  civilization,  as  well  as  the  in 
cipient  gleamings  of  it,  among  the  more  warlike  tribes  of  the  Iroquois, 
Natchez,  Lenapees,  and  others,  of  northern  latitudes.  They  esteem  it  so 
important  and  divine  a  grain,  that  their  story-tellers  invented  various  tales, 
in  which  this  idea  is  symbolized  under  the  form  of  a  special  gift  from  the 
Great  Spirit.  The  Odjibwa-Algonquins,  who  call  it  Mon-da-min,  that  is, 
the  Spirit's  grain  or  berry,  have  a  pretty  story  of  this  kind,  in  which  the 
stalk  in  full  tassel,  is  represented  as  descending  from  the  sky,  under  the 
guise  of  a  handsome  youth,  in  answer  to  the  prayers  of  a  young  man  at 
his  fast  of  virility,  or  coming  to  manhood. 

It  is  well  known  that  corn-planting,  and  corn-gathering,  at  least  among 
all  the  still  uncolonized  tribes,  are  left  entirely  to  the  females  and  children, 
and  a  few  superannuated  old  men:  It  is  not  generally  known,  perhaps, 
that  this  labour  is  not  compulsory,  and  that  it  is  assumed  by  the  females 
as  a  just  equivalent,  in  their  view,  for  the  onerous  and  continuous  labour 
of  the  other  sex,  in  providing  meats,  and  skins  for  clothing,  by  the  chase, 
and  in  defending  their  villages  against  their  enemies,  and  keeping  intruders 
off  their  territories.  A  good  Indian  housewife  deems  this  a  part  oftier 
prerogative,  and  prides  herself  to  have  a  store  of  corn  to  exercise  her  hos 
pitality,  or  duly  honour  her  husband's  hospitality,  in  the  entertainment  of 
the  lodge  guests. 

The  area  of  ground  planted  is  not.  comparitively,  large.  This  matter 
is  essentially  regulated  by  the  number  of  the  family,  and  other  circum 
stances.  Spring  is  a  leisure  season  with  them,  and  by  its  genial  and  re 
viving  influence,  invites  to  labour.  An  Indian  female  has  no  cows 
to  milk,  no  flax  to  spin,  no  yarn  to  reel.  Even  those  labours,  which,  at 
Dther  seasons  fall  to  her  share,  are  now  intermitted.  She  has  apukwas  to 
gather  to  make  mats.  Sugar-making  has  ended.  She  has  no  skins  to 
dress,  for  the  hunt  has  ended,  the  animals  being  out  of  season.  It  is  at 
this  time  that  the  pelt  grows  bad,  the  hair  becomes  loose  and  falls  off,  and 
nature  itself  teaches  the  hunter,  that  the  species  must  have  repose,  and  be 
allowed  a  -istle  time  to  replenish.  Under  these  circumstances  the  mistress 

179 


180  CORN,    PLANTING,    AND    ITS    INCIDENTS. 

of  the  lodge  and  her  train,  sally  out  of  the  lodge  into  the  corn-field,  and 
with  the  light  pemidge-ag  akwut,  or  small  hoe,  open  up  the  soft  ground 
and  deposit  their  treasured  mondamin. 

The  Indian  is  emphatically  a  superstitious  being,  believing  in  all  sorts 
of  magical,  and  secret,  and  wonderful  influences.  Woman,  herself,  comes 
in  for  no  small  share  of  these  supposed  influences.  1  shrewdly  suspect 
that  one  half  of  the  credit  we  have  been  in  the  habit  of  giving  the  war 
rior,  on  the  score  of  virtue,  in  his  treatment  of  captives,  is  due  alone  to  his 
superstitions.  He  is  afraid,  at  all  times,  to  spoil  his  luck,  cross  his  fate, 
and  do  some  untoward  act,  by  which  he  might,  perchance,  fall  under  a 
bad  spiritual  influence. 

To  the  wewun,  or  wife — the  equa,  or  woman,  to  the  guh  or  mother, — 
to  the  equazas,  or  girl,  and  to  the  danis,  or  daughter,  and  shema,  or 
sister,  he  looks,  as  wielding,  in  their  several  capacities,  whether  kindred 
or  not,  these  mystic  influences  over  his  luck.  In  consequence  of  this,  the 
female  never  walks  in  the  path  before  him.  It  is  an  unpropitious  sign.  If 
she  cross  his  track,  when  he  is  about  to  set  out  on  a  hunting,  or  war  ex 
cursion,  his  luck  is  gone.  If  she  is  ill,  from  natural  causes,  she  cannot 
even  stay  in  the  same  wigwam.  She  cannot  use  a  cup  or  a  bowl  without 
rendering  it,  in  his  view,  unclean. 

A  singular  proof  of  this  belief,  in  both  sexes,  of  the  mysterious  influence 
of  the  steps  of  a  woman  on  the  vegetable  and  insect  creation,  is  found  in  an 
ancient  custom,  which  was  related  to  me,  respecting  corn-planting.  It 
was  the  practice  of  the  hunter's  wife,  when  the  field  of  corn  had  been 
p-anted,  to  choose  the  first  dark  or  overclouded  evening,  to  perform  a 
secret  circuit,  sans  habilement,  around  the  field.  For  this  purpose  she 
slipt  out  of  the  lodge  in  the  evening,  unobserved,  to  some  obscure  nook, 
where  she  completely  disrobed.  Then  taking  her  matchecota,  or  princi 
pal  garment  in  one  hand,  she  dragged  it  around  the  field.  This  wa& 
thought  to  ensure  a  prolific  crop,  and  to  prevent  the  assaults  of  insects  and 
worms  upon  the  grain.  It  was  supposed  they  could  not  creep  over  the 
charmed  line. 

But  if  corn-planting  be  done  in  a  lively  and  satisfied,  and  not  a  slavish 
spirit,  corn-gathering  and  husking  is  a  season  of  decided  thankfulness  and 
merriment.  At  these  gatherings,  the  chiefs  and  old  men  are  mere  specta 
tors,  although  they  are  pleased  spectators,  the  young  only  sharing  in  the 
sport.  Who  has  not  seen,  the  sedate  ogema  in  such  a  vicinage,  smoking 
a  dignified  pipe  with  senatorial  ease.  On  the  other  hand,  turning  to  the 
group  of  nature's  red  daughters  and  their  young  cohorts,  it  may  be  safe 
ly  affirmed  that  laughter  and  garrulity  constitute  no  part  of  the  character 
istics  of  civilization.  Whatever  else  custom  has  bound  fast,  in  the  do 
mestic  female  circle  of  forest  life,  the  tongue  is  left  loose.  Nor  does  it  re 
quire,  our  observation  leads  us  to  think,  one  tenth  part  of  the  wit  or 
drollery  of  ancient  Athens,  to  set  their  risible  faculties  in  motion. 


If  one  of  the  young  female  buskers  finds  a  red  ear  of  corn,  it  is  typicai 
of  a  brave  admirer,  and  is  regarded  as  a  fitting  present  to  some  young 
warrior.  But  if  tbe  ear  be  crooked,  and  tapering  to  a  point,  no  matter  what 
colour,  the  whole  circle  is  set  in  a  roar,  and  wa  ge  min  is  the  word  shouted 
aloud.  It  is  the  symbol  of  a  thief  in  the  cornfield.  It  is  considered  as  the 
image  of  an  old  man  stooping  as  he  enters  the  lot.  Had  the  chisel 
of  Praxitiles  been  employed  to  produce  this  image,  it  could  not  more  vi 
vidly  bring  to  the  minds  of  the  merry  group,  the  idea  of  a  pilferer  of  their 
favourite  mondamin.  Nor  is  there  any  doubt  on  these  occasions,  that  the 
occurrence  truly  reveals  the  fact  that  the  cornfield  has  actually  been  thus 
depredated  on. 

The  term  wagemin,  which  unfolds  all  these  ideas,  and  reveals,  as  by  a 
talisman,  all  this  information,  is  derived  in  part,  from  the  tri-literal  term 
Waweau,  that  which  is  bent  or  crooked.  The  termination  in  g,  is  the 
animate  plural,  and  denotes  not  only  that  there  is  more  than  one  object, 
but  that  the  subject  is  noble  or  invested  with  the  importance  of  animated 
beings.  The  last  member  of  the  compound,  min,  is  a  shortened  sound 
of  the  generic  meen,  a  grain,  or  berry.  To  make  these  coalesce,  agreea 
bly  to  the  native  laws  of  euphony,  the  short  vowel  i,  is  thrown  in,  between 
the  verbal  root  and  substantive,  as  a  connective.  The  literal  meaning  of 
the  term  is,  a  mass,  or  crooked  ear  of  grain  ;  but  the  ear  of  corn  so  called, 
is  a  conventional  type  of  a  little  old  man  pilfering  ears  of  corn  in  a  corn 
field.  It  is  in  this  manner,  that  a  single  word  or  term,  in  these  curious 
languages,  becomes  the  fruitful  parent  of  many  ideas.  And  we  can  thus 
perceive  why  it  is  that  the  word  wagemin  is  alone  competent  to  excite 
merriment  in  the  husking  circle. 

This  term  is  taken  as  the  basis  of  the  cereal  chorus  or  corn  song,  as 
sung  by  the  northern  Algonquin  tribes.  It  is  coupled  with  the  phrase 
Paimosaid, — a  permutative  form  of  the  Indian  substantive  made  from  the 
verb,  pim-o-sa,  to  walk.  Its  literal  meaning  is,  he  who  walks,  or  the 
walker  ;  but  the  ideas  conveyed  by  it,  are,  he  who  walks  at  night  to  pilfer 
corn.  It  offers,  therefore,  a  kind  of  parallelism  in  expression,  to  the  pre 
ceding  term.  The  chorus  is  entirely  composed  of  these  two  terms,  vari 
ously  repeated,  and  may  be  set  down  as  follows  : 

Wagemin, 
Wagemin, 
Paimosaid. 
Wagemin, 
Wagemin, 

Paimosaid. 

181 


182  CORN    PLANTING    AND    ITS    INCIDENTS. 

When  this  chant  has  been  sung,  there  is  a  pause,  during  which  some 
one  who  is  expert  in  these  things,  and  has  a  turn  for  the  comic  or  ironic7 
utters  a  short  speech,  in  the  manner  of  a  recitative,  in  which  a  peculiar  in 
tonation  is  given,  and  generally  interrogates  the  supposed  pilferer,  as  if  he 
were  present  to  answer  questions,  or  accusations.  There  can  be  no  pre 
tence,  that  this  recitative  part  of  the  song  is  always  the  same,  at  different 
times  and  places,  or  even  that  the  same  person  should  not  vary  his  phrase 
ology.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  often  an  object  to  vary  it.  It  is  a  perfect 
improvisation,  and  it  may  be  supposed  that  the  native  composer  is  always 
actuated  by  a  desire  to  please,  as  much  as  possible  by  novelty.  The 
whole  object  indeed  is,  to  keep  up  the  existing  merriment,  and  excite  fun 
and  laughter. 

The  following  may  be  taken  as  one  of  these  recitative  songs,  written  out, 
on  the  plan  of  preserving  the  train  of  thought,  and  some  of  those  peculiar 
interjections  in  which  these  languages  so  much  abound.  The  chorus 
alone,  it  is  to  be  observed,  is  fixed  in  its  words  and  metre,  however  trans 
posed  or  repeated,  and,  unlike  an  English  song,  precec1  ^  the  stanza  or 
narrative. 

CORN  SONG. 

Cereal  chorus.  Wagemin  !  wagemin  ! 

Thief  in  the  blade, 
Blight  of  the  cornfield 
Paimosaid. 

Recitative.    See  you  not  traces,  while  pulling  the  leaf, 
Plainly  depicting  the  TAKER  and  thief? 
See  you  not  signs  by  the  ring  and  tke  spot, 
How  the  man  crouched  as  he  crept  in  the  lot  ? 
Is  it  not  plain  by  this  mark  on  the  stalk, 
That  he  was  heavily  bent  in  his  walk? 
Old  man  be  nimble  !  the  old  should  be  good, 
But  thou  art  a  cowardly  thief  of  the  wood. 

Cereal  Chorus.  Wagemin  !   wagemin  ! 

Thief  in  the  blade, 
Blight  of  the  cornfield 
Paimosaid. 

Recitative.    Where,  little  TAKER  of  things  not  your  own — 

Where  is  your  rattle,  your  drum,  and  your  bone? 
Surely  a  WALKER  so  nimble  of  speed, 
Surely  he  must  be  a  Meta*  indeed. 


A  Juggler. 


CORN    PLANTING    AND    ITS    INCIDENTS.  183 

See  how  he  stoops,  as  he  breaks  off  the  ear, 
Nushka  !*  he  seems  for  a  moment  in  fear  ; 
Walker,  be  nimble — oh  !   walker  be  brief, 
Hooh  !f  it  is  plain  the  old  man  is  the  thief. 

Cereal  chorus.  Wagemin  !  wagemin  ! 

Thief  in  the  blade, 
Blight  of  the  cornfield 

Pairnosaid. 
Recitative.    Wabuma  !J  corn-taker,  why  do  you  lag? 

None  but  the  stars  see  you — fill  up  your  bag  ? 

Why  do  you  linger  to  gaze  as  you  pull, 

Tell  me,  my  little  man,  is  it  most  full  ? 

A-tia !  §  see,  a  red  spot  on  the  leaf, 

Surely  a  warrior  cannot  be  a  thief! 

Ah,  little  night-thief,  be  deer  your  pursuit, 

And  leave  here  no  print  of  your  dastardly  foot 


TO  HEALTH. 

BY   THE    LATE    JOHN   JOHNSTON,    ESQ. 

Health  !  dearest  of  the  heavenly  powers, 
With  thee  to  pass  my  evening  hours, 

Ah !  deign  to  hear  my  prayer  ; 
For  what  can  wealth  or  beauty  give, 
If  still  in  anguish  doomed  to  live 

A  slave  to  pain  and  care. 

Not  sovereign  power,  nor  charms  of  love, 
Nor  social  joys  the  heart  can  move, 

If  thou  refuse  thy  aid  ; 
E'en  friendship,  sympathy  divine  ! 
Does,  in  thy  absence,  faintly  shine, 

Thou  all-inspiring  maid. 

Return  then,  to  my  longing  soul, 
Which  sighs  to  feel  thy  sweet  control 

Transfused  through  every  pore  ; 
My  muse,  enraptured,  then  shall  sing 
Thee — gift  of  heaven's  all  bounteous  king, 

And  gratefully  adore. 
February  4,  1807. 

*  A  sharp  exclamation  quickly  to  behold  something  striking. 

t  A  derogatory  exclamation.  |  Behold  thou. 

§  A  masculine  exclamation,  to  express  surprise 


184  DOMESTIC    AND    SOCIAL 


DOMESTIC  AND    SOCIAL   MANNERS   OF   THE   INDIANS, 
WHILE  ON  THEIR  WINTERING  GROUNDS. 

THE  Indian,  who  takes  his  position  as  an  oratof ,  in  front  of  his  people, 
and  before  a  mixed  assemblage  of  white  men,  is  to  be  regarded,  in  a 
measure,  as  an  actor,  who  has  assumed  a  part  to  perform.  He  regards 
himself  as  occupying  a  position  in  which  all  eyes  are  directed  upon  him, 
in  scrutiny,  and  he  fortifies  himself  for  the  occasion,  by  redoubled 
efforts  in  cautiousness  and  studied  stoicism.  Rigid  of  muscle,  and 
suspicious  of  mind  by  nature,  he  brings  to  his  aid  the  advantages  of 
practised  art,  to  bear  him  out  in  speaking  for  his  tribe,  and  to  quit  him 
manfully  of  his  task  by  uttering  sentiments  worthy  of  them  and  of  him 
self.  This  is  the  statue-like  and  artistic  phasis  of  the  man.  It  is  here 
that  he  is,  truly 

"  A.  man  without  a  fear — a  stoic  of  the  wood." 

All  this  is  laid  aside,  so  far  as  it  is  assumed,  when  he  returns  from  the 
presence  of  the  "  pale-faces,"  and  rejoins  his  friends  and  kindred,  in  his 
own  village,  far  away  from  all  public  gaze,  in  the  deep  recesses  of  the 
forest.  Let  us  follow  the  man  to  this  retreat,  and  see  what  are  his 
domestic  manners,  habits,  amusements,  and  opinions. 

I  have  myself  visited  an  Indian  camp,  in  the  far-off  area  of  the  NORTH 
WEST,  in  the  dead  of  winter,  under  circumstances  suited  to  allay  his  sus 
picions,  and  inspire  confidence,  and  have  been  struck  with  the  marked 
change  there  is  in  hrs  social  temper,  character,  and  feelings.  And  I  have 
received  the  same  testimony  from  Indian  traders,  who  have  spent  years 
among  them  in  these  secluded  positions,  and  been  received  by  them  as 
friends  and  kindred.  All  indeed,  who  have  had  frequent  and  full  oppor 
tunities  of  witnessing  the  red  man  on  his  hunting  grounds,  concur  in 
bearing  evidence  to  his  social,  hospitable,  and  friendly  habits  and  man 
ners.  Viewed  in  such  positions,  the  most  perfect  sincerity  and  cheer 
fulness  prevail ;  and  their  intercourse  is  marked  with  the  broadest  princi 
ples  of  charity  and  neighborly  feeling.  The  restraint  and  ever  watchful 
suspicion  which  they  evince  at  the  frontier  post,  or  in  other  situations 
exposed  to  the  scrutiny  and  cupidity  of  white  men,  is  thrown  aside  and 
gives  way  to  ease,  sociability  and  pleasantry.  They  feel  while  thus 
ensconced  in  the  shades  of  their  native  forests,  a  security  unknown  to 
their  breasts  in  any  other  situations.  The  strife  seems  to  be,  who  shall 
excel  in  offices  of  friendship  and  charity,  or  in  spreading  the  festive 
board.  If  one  is  more  fortunate  than  the  other,  in  taking  meat,  or 
wielding  the  arrow  or  spear,  the  spoil  is  set  apart  for  a  feast,  to  which 


MANNERS    OF    THE    INDIANS.  185 

all  the  adults,  without  distinction,  are  invited.  When  the  set  time  of 
the  feast  arrives,  each  one,  according  to  ancient  custom,  takes  his  dish 
and  spoon,  and  proceeds  to  the  entertainer's  lodge.  The  victuals  are 
served  up  with  scrupulous  attention  that  each  receives  a  portion  of  the 
best  parts.  While  at  the  meal,  which  is  prolonged  by  cheerful  conver 
sation,  anecdote,  and  little  narrations  of  personal  adventure,  the  females 
are  generally  listeners  ;  and  none,  except  the  aged,  ever  obtrude  a  re 
mark.  The  young  women  and  girls  show  that  they  partake  in  the  fes 
tivity  by  smiles,  and  are  scrupulous  to  evince  their  attention  to  the  elder 
part  of  the  company.  Conversation  is  chiefly  engrossed  by  the  old  men 
and  chiefs,  and  middle-aged  men.  Young  men,  who  are  desirous  to 
acquire  a  standing,  seldom  offer  a  remark,  and  when  they  do,  it  is  with 
modesty.  The  topics  discussed  at  these  public  meals  relate  generally 
to  the  chace,  to  the  news  they  have  heard,  or  to  personal  occurrences 
about  the  village  ;  or  to  deeds,  "  real  or  fabulous,"  of  "  old  lang  syne  ;" 
but  the  matters  are  discussed  in  a  lively,  and  not  in  a  grave  style. 
Business,  if  we  may  be  allowed  that  term  for  what  concerns  their  trade 
and  government  intercourse,  is  never  introduced  except  in  formal  coun 
cils,  convened  specially,  and  opened  formally  by  smoking  the  pipe.  It 
seems  to  be  the  drift  of  conversation,  in  these  sober  festivities  (for  it 
must  be  recollected  that  we  are  speaking  of  the  Indians  on  their  winter 
ing  grounds  and  beyond  the  reach,  certainly  beyond  the  free  or  ordinary 
use  of  ardent  spirits),  to  extract  from  their  hunts  and  adventures,  what 
ever  will  admit  of  a  pleasant  turn,  draw  forth  a  joke,  or  excite  a  laugh. 
Ridiculous  misadventures,  or  comical  situations, are  sure  to  be  applauded 
in  the  recital.  Whatever  is  anti-social,  or  untoward,  is  passed  over,  or 
if  referred  to  by  another,  is  parried  off,  by  some  allusion  to  the  scene 
before  them. 

Religion  (we  use  this  term  for  what  concerns  the  great  spirit,  sacred 
dreams,  and  the  ceremonies  of  the  Meda  or  medicine  dance),  like  busi 
ness,  is  reserved  for  its  proper  occasion.  It  does  not  form,  as  with  us, 
a  free  topic  of  remark,  at  least  among  those  who  are  professors  of  the 
dance.  Thus  they  cheat  away  the  hours  in  pleasantry,  free,  but  not 
tumultuous  in  their  mirth,  but  as  ardently  bent  on  the  enjoyment  of 
the  present  moment,  as  if  the  sum  of  life  were  contained  in  these 
three  words,  "  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry."  When  the  feast  is  over,  the 
women  return  to  their  lodges,  and  leave  the  men  to  smoke.  On  their 
return,  they  commence  a  conversation  on  what  they  have  heard  the 
men  advance,  and  thus  amuse  themselves  till  their  husbands  return. 
The  end  of  all  is  generally  some  good  advice  to  the  children. 

The  company  in  these  ordinary  feasts  is  as  general,  with  respect  to 
the  rank,  age  or  standing  of  the  guests,  as  the  most  unlimited  equality 
of  rights  can  make  it.  All  the  aged  and  many  of  the  young  are  in 
vited.  There  is,  however,  another  feast  instituted,  at  certain  times- 


186  DOMESTIC  AND   SOCIAL 

during  the  season,  to  which  young  persons  only  are  iivited,  or  admitted, 
except  the  entertainer  and  his  wife,  and  generally  two  other  aged  per 
sons,  who  preside  over  the  feast  and  administer  its  rites.  The  object  o* 
this  feast  seems  to  be  instruction,  to  which  the  young  and  thoughtless 
are  induced  to  listen  for  the  anticipated  pleasure  of  the  feast.  Before 
this  feast  commences,  the  entertainer,  or  some  person  fluent  in  speech, 
whom  he  has  selected  for  the  purpose,  gets  up  and  addresses  the  youth 
of  both  sexes  on  the  subject  of  their  course  through  life.  He  admo 
nishes  them  to  be  attentive  and  respectful  to  the  aged  and  to  adhere  to 
their  counsels :  never  to  scoff  at  the  decrepid,  deformed,  or  blind  :  to 
obey  their  parents  :  to  be  modest  in  their  conduct :  to  be  charitable  and 
hospitable  :  to  fear  and  love  the  great  Spirit,  who  is  the  giver  of  life 
and  every  good  gift.  These  precepts  are  dwelt  upon  at  great  length, 
and  generally  enforced  by  examples  of  a  good  man  and  woman  and  a 
bad  man  and  woman,  and  after  drawing  the  latter,  it  is  ever  the  custom 
to  say,  "  you  will  be  like  one  of  these."  At  the  end  of  every  sentence, 
the  listeners  make  a  general  cry  of  had.  When  the  advice  is  finished, 
an  address,  or  kind  of  prayer  to  the  great  Spirit  is  made,  in  which  he 
is  thanked  for  the  food  before  them,  and  for  the  continuance  of  life. 
The  speaker  then  says,  "  Thus  the  great  Spirit  supplies  us  with  food  ; 
act  justly,  and  conduct  well,  and  you  will  ever  be  thus  bountifully  sup 
plied."  The  feast  then  commences,  and  the  elders  relax  their  manner 
and  mix  with  the  rest,  but  are  still  careful  to  preserve  order,  and  a  de 
cent,  respectful  behavior  among  the  guests. 

Let  it  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  the  Indian's  life,  while  on  hi* 
wintering  grounds,  is  a  round  of  feasting.  Quite  the  contrary  ;  and  his 
feasts  are  often  followed  by  long  and  painful  fasts,  and  the  severity  ot 
the  seasons,  and  scarcity  of  game  and  fish,  often  reduce  himself  and 
family  to  the  verge  of  starvation,  and  even  death.  When  the  failure  of 
game,  or  any  other  causes,  induce  the  hunter  to  remove  to  a  new  circle 
of  country,  the  labor  of  the  removal  falls  upon  the  female  part  of  the 
family.  The  lodge,  utensils  and  fixtures  of  every  kind,  are  borne  upon 
the  women's  backs,  sustained  by  a  strap  of  leather  around  the  forehead. 
On  reaching  the  intended  place  of  encampment,  the  snow  is  cleared 
away,  cedar  branches  brought  and  spread  for  a  flooring,  the  lodge  set  up, 
the  moveables  stowed  away,  wood  collected,  and  a  fire  built,  and  then, 
and  not  until  then,  can  the  females  sit  down  and  warm  their  feet  and 
dry  their  moccasins.  If  there  be  any  provisions,  a  supper  is  cooked. 
If  there  be  none,  all  studiously  strive  to  conceal  the  exhibition  of  the 
least  concern  on  this  account,  and  seek  to  divert  their  thoughts  by  con 
versation  quite  foreign  to  the  subject.  The  little  children  are  the  only 
part  of  the  family  who  complain,  and  who  are  privileged  to  complain, 
but  even  they  are  taught  at  an  early  age  to  suffer  and  be  silent.  Gene 
rally,  something  is  reserved  by  the  mother,  when  food  becomes  scarce, 


MANNERS    OF    THE    INDIANS.  187 

to  satisfy  their  clamors,  and  they  are  satisfied  with  little.  On  such  occa 
sions,  if  the  family  have  gone  supperless  to  rest,  the  father  and  elder 
sons  rise  early  in  the  morning  in  search  of  something.  If  one  has  the 
luck  to  kill  even  a  partridge  or  a  squirrel,  it  is  immediately  carried  to 
the  lodge,  cooked,  and  divided  into  as  many  parts  as  there  are  members 
of  the  family.  On  these  occasions,  the  elder  ones  often  make  a  merit 
of  relinquishing  their  portions  to  the  women  and  children.  If  nothing 
rewards  the  search,  the  whole  day  is  spent  by  the  father  upon  his  snow- 
shoes,  with  his  gun  in  his  hands,  and  he  returns  at  night,  fatigued,  to  his 
couch  of  cedar  branches  and  rush  mats.  But  he  does  not  return  to  com 
plain,  either  of  his  want  of  success,  or  his  fatigue.  On  the  following 
day  the  same  routine  is  observed,  and  days  and  weeks  are  often  thus 
consumed  without  being  rewarded  with  anything  capable  of  sustaining 
life.  Instances  have  been  well  authenticated,  when  this  state  of  wretch 
edness  has  been  endured  by  the  head  of  a  family  until  he  has  become  so 
weak  as  to  fall  in  his  path,  and  freeze  to  death.  When  all  other  means 
of  sustaining  life  are  gone,  the  skins  he  has  collected  to  pay  his  credits, 
or  purchase  new  supplies  of  clothing  or  ammunition,  are  eaten.  They 
are  prepared  by  removing  the  pelt,  and  roasting  the  skin  until  it  acquires 
a  certain  degree  of  crispness.  Under  all  their  sufferings,  the  pipe  of 
the  hunter  is  his  chief  solace,  and  is  a  solace  often  resorted  to.  Smoking 
parties  are  frequently  formed,  when  there  is  a  scarcity  of  food  not  tend 
ing,  as  might  be  supposed,  to  destroy  social  feeling  and  render  the 
temper  sour.  On  these  occasions  the  entertainer  sends  a  message  to 
this  effect :  "  Come  and  smoke  with  me.  I  have  no  food  ;  but  we  can 
pass  away  the  evening  very  well  without  it."  All  acknowledge  their 
lives  to  be  in  the  hand  of  the  great  Spirit ;  feel  a  conviction  that  all 
comes  from  him,  and  that  although  he  allows  them  to  suffer,  he  will  again 
supply  them.  This  tends  to  quiet  their  apprehensions ;  they  are  fatal 
ists,  however,  under  long  reverses,  and  submit  patiently  and  silently  to 
what  they  believe  to  be  their  destiny.  When  hunger  and  misery  are 
past,  they  are  soon  forgotten,  and  their  minds  are  too  eagerly  intent  on 
the  enjoyment  of  the  present  good,  to  feel  any  depression  of  spirits  from 
the  recollection  of  the  past,  or  to  hoard  up  anything  to  provide  against 
want  for  the  future.  No  people  are  more  easy,  or  less  clamorous  under 
sufferings  of  the  deepest  dye,  and  none  more  happy,  or  more  prone  to 
evince  their  happiness,  when  prosperous  in  their  affairs. 
October  29th,  1826. 


PUGASAING; 


OR, 


THE  GAME  OF  THE  BOWL. 

THIS  is  the  principal  game  of  hazard  among  the  northern  tribes.  It  is 
played  with  thirteen  pieces,  hustled  in  a  vessel  called  onagun,  which  is  a 
kind  of  wooden  bowl.  They  are  represented,  and  named,  as  follows. 


"VI. 


"VI. 


ooo 

"*'  v:  -v: 


^  O    a    & 

jr. 


& 


JIT 


6 


JK 


The  pieces  marked  No.  1,  in  this  cut,  of  which  there  are  two,  are  called 
Ininewug,  or  men.  They  are  made  tapering,  or  wedge-shaped  in  thick 
ness,  so  as  to  make  it  possible,  in  throwing  them,  that  they  may  stand  on 
their  base.  Number  2,  is  called  Gitshee  Kenabik,  or  the  Great  Serpent. 
It  consists  of  two  pieces,  one  of  which  is  fin-tailed,  or  a  water-serpent,  the 

188 


PUGASAING.  189 

other  truncated,  and  is  probably  designed  as  terrestrial.  They  are  formed 
wedge-shaped,  so  as  to  be  capable  of  standing  on  their  bases  length-wise. 
Each  has  four  dots.  Number  3.  is  called  Pugamagun,  or  the  war  club. 
It  has  six  marks  on  the  handle,  on  the  red  side,  and  four  radiating  from 
the  orifice  of  the  club  end  ;  and  four  marks  on  the  handle  of  the  white  side  ; 
and  six  radiating  marks  from  the  orifice  on  the  club-end,  making  ten  on 
each  side.  Number  4  is  called  Keego,  which  is  the  generic  name  for  a 
fish.  The  four  circular  pieces  of  brass,  slightly  concave,  with  a  flat  sur 
face  on  the  apex,  are  called  Ozawabiks.  The  three  bird-shaped  pieces, 
Sheshebwug,  or  ducks. 

All  but  the  circular  pieces  are  made  out  of  a  fine  kind  of  bone.  One 
side  of  the  piece  is  white,  of  the  natural  colour  of  the  bones,  and  polished, 
the  other  red.  The  brass  pieces  have  the  convex  side  bright,  the  concave 
black.  They  are  all  shaken  together,  and  thrown  out  of  the  onagun,  as 
dice.  The  term  pugasaing  denotes  this  act  of  throwing.  It  is  the  parti 
cipial  form  of  the  verb. — The  following  rules  govern  the  game : 

1.  When  the  pieces  are  turned  on  the  red  side,  and  one  of  the  Inine* 
wugs  stands  upright  on  the  bright   side  of  one  of  the  brass  peces,  it 
counts  158. 

2.  When  all  the  pieces  turn  red  side  up,  and  the  Gitshee  Kenabik 
with  the  tail  stands  on  the  bright  side  of  the  brass  piece,  it  counts  138. 

3.  When  all  turn  up  red,  it  counts  58  whether  the  brass  pieces  be  bright 
or  black  side  up,. 

4.  When  the  Gitshee  Kenabik  and  his  associate,  and  the  two  Ininewugs 
turn  up  white  side,  and  the  other  pieces  red,  it  counts  58,  irrespective  of 
the  concave  or  convex  position  of  the  brass  pieces. 

5.  When  all  the  pieces  turn  up  white,  it  counts  38,  whether  the  Ozawa 
biks,  be  bright  or  black. 

6.  When  the  Gitshee  Kenabik  and  his  associate  turn  up  red,  and  the 
other  wnite,  it  counts  38,  the  brass  pieces  immaterial. 

7.  When  one  of  the  Ininewugs  stands  up,  it  counts  50,  without  regard 
to  the  position  of  all  the  rest 

8.  When  either  of  the  Gitshee  Kenabiks  stands  upright,  it  counts  40, 
irrespective  of  the  position  of  the  others. 

9.  When  all  the  pieces  turn  up  white,  excepting  one,  and  the  Ozawabiks 
dark,  it  counts  20. 

10.  When  all  turn  up  red,  except  one,  and  the  brass  pieces  bright,  it 
counts  15. 

11.  When  the  whole  of  the  pieces  turn  up  white,  but  one,  with  the 
Ozawabiks  bright,  it  counts  10. 

12.  When  a  brass  piece  turns  up  dark,  the  two  Gitshee  Kenabiks  and 
the  two  men  red,  and  the  remaining  pieces  white,  it  counts  8. 

13  When  the  brass  piece  turns  up  bright,  the  two  Gitshee  Kenabiks 
and  one  of  the  men  red,  and  all  the  rest  white,  it  is  6. 


190  PUGASAING. 

14.  When  the  Gitshee  Kenabik  in  chief,  and  orre  of  the  men  turn  up 
red,  the  Ozawabiks,  bright,  and  all  the  others  white,  it  is  4. 

15.  When  both  the  Kenabiks,  and  both  men,  and  the  three  ducks,  turn 
up  red,  the  brass  piece  black,  and  either  the  Keego,  or  a  duck  white, 
it  is  5. 

16.  When  all  the  pieces  turn  up  red,  but  one  of  the  Ininewugs,  and  the 
brass  piece  black,  it  counts  2. 

The  limit  of  the  game  is  stipulated.  The  parties  throw  up  for  the 
play. 

This  game  is  very  fascinating  to  some  portions  of  the  Indians.  They 
stake  at  it  their  ornaments,  weapons,  clothing,  canoes,  horses,  every  thing 
in  fact  they  possess ;  and  have  been  known,  it  is  said,  to  set  up  their  wives 
and  children,  and  even  to  forfeit  their  own  liberty.  Of  such  desperate 
stakes.  I  have  seen  no  examples,  nor  do  I  think  the  game  itself  in  com 
mon  use.  It  is  rather  confined  to  certain  persons,  who  hold  the  relative 
rank  of  gamblers  in  Indian  society — men  who  are  not  noted  as  hunters  or 
warriors,  or  steady  providers  for  their  families.  Among  these  are  per 
sons  who  bear  the  term  of  lenadizze-wug,  that  is,  wanderers  about  the 
country,  braggadocios,  or  fops.  It  can  hardly  be  classed  with  the  popular 
games  of  amusement,  by  which  skill  and  dexterity  are  acquired.  I  have 
generally  found  the  chiefs  and  graver  men  of  the  tribes,  who  encouraged 
the  young  men  to  play  ball,  and  are  sure  to  be  present  at  the  customary 
sports,  to  witness,  and  sanction,  and  applaud  them,  speal*;  lightly  and  dis 
paragingly  of  this  game  of  hazard.  Yet,  it  cannot  be  denied,  that  some 
of  the  chiefs,  distinguished  in  war  and  the  chase,  at  the  west,  can  be  refer 
red  to,  as  lending  their  example  to  its  fascinating  power. 

An  analysis  of  this  game,  to  show  its  arithmetical  principles  and  powers 
might  be  gone  into ;  but  it  is  no  part  of  the  present  design  to  take  up  such 
considerations  here,  far  less  to  pursue  the  comparison  and  extension  of  cus 
toms  of  this  kind  among  the  modern  western  tribes.  It  may  be  sufficient 
to  say,  from  the  foregoing  rules,  that  there  seems  to  be  no  unit  in  the 
throw,  and  that  the  count  proceeds  by  decimals,  for  all  numbers  over  8. 
Doubtless  these  rules,  are  but  a  part  of  the  whole  series,  known  to  ex 
perienced  players.  They  comprise,  however,  all  that  have  been  revealeu 
to  me. 

"  Gambling  is  not  peculiar  to  our  race, 
The  Indian  gambles  with  as  fixed  a  face." 


Herodotus  says  of  the  ancient  Thracians — that  "  the  most  honourable 
life,  with  them,  is  a  life  of  war  and  plunder ;  the  most  contemptible  that  of 
a  husbandman.  Their  supreme  delight  is  war  and  plunder."  Who  might 
not  suppose,  were  the  name  withheld,  that  this  had  been  said  by  some 
modern  writer  of  the  Pawnees,  or  the  Camanches  ? 


REVERENCE  AND  AFFECTION  FOR  PARENTS. 

THERE  lived  a  noted  chief  at  Michilimackinac,  in  days  past,  called  Gitshe 
Naygow,  or  the  Great-Sand-Dune,  a  name,  or  rather  nick-name, 
which  he  had,  probably,  derived  from  his  birth  and  early  residence  at  a 
spot  of  very  imposing  appearance,  so  called,  on  the  southern  shore  of 
Lake  Superior,  which  is  east  of  the  range  of  the  Pictured  Rocks.  He 
was  a  Chippewa,  a  warrior  and  a  counsellor,  of  that  tribe,  and  had 
mingled  freely  in  the  stirring  scenes  of  war  and  border  foray,  which 
marked  the  closing  years  of  French  domination  in  the  Canadas.  He 
lived  to  be  very  old,  and  became  so  feeble  at  last,  that  he  could  not 
travel  by  land,  when  Spring  came  on  and  his  people  prepared  to  move 
their  lodges,  from  their  sugar-camp  in  the  forest,  to  the  open  lake  shore. 
They  were  then  inland,  on  the  waters  of  the  Manistee  river,  a  stream 
which  enters  the  northern  shores  of  Lake  Michigan.  It  was  his  last  win 
ter  on  earth  j  his  heart  was  gladdened  by  once  more  feeling  the  ge 
nial  rays  of  Spring,  and  he  desired  to  go  with  them,  to  behold,  for  the 
last  time,  the  expanded  lake  and  inhale  its  pure  breezes.  He  must 
needs  be  conveyed  by  hand.  This  act  of  piety  was  performed  by  his 
daughter,  then  a  young  woman.  She  carried  him  on  her  back  from 
their  camp  to  the  lake  shore,  where  they  erected  their  lodg-e  and 
passed  their  spring,  and  where  he  eventually  died  and  was  buried. 

This  relation  I  had  from  her  own  lips,  at  the  agency  of  Michili 
mackinac,  in  1833.  I  asked  her  how  she  had  carried  him.  She  re 
plied,  with  the  Indian  apekun,  or  head-strap.  When  tired  she  rested,  and 
again  pursued  her  way,  on-wa-be-win  by  on-wa-be-win,  or  rest  by  rest,  in 
the  manner  practised  in  carrying  heavy  packages  over  the  portages.  Her 
name  was  Nadowakwa,  or  the  female  Iroquois.  She  was  then,  perhaps, 
about  fifty-five  years  of  age,  and  the  wife  of  a  chief  called  Saganosh, 
whose  home  and  jurisdiction  were  in  the  group  of  the  St.  Martin's  Islands, 
north  of  Michilimackinac. 

The  incident  was  not  voluntarily  told,  but  came  out,  incidentally,  in 
some  inquiries  I  was  making  respecting  historical  events,  in  the  vicinity. 
One  such  incident  goes  far  to  vindicate  the  affections  of  this  people, 
and  should  teach  us,  that  they  are  of  the  same  general  lineage  with 
ourselves,  and  only  require  letters  and  Christianity,  to  exalt  them  in  the 
scale  of  being. 


The  first  words  of  men,  says  Harris  in  his  Hermes,  like  their  first  ideas, 
had  an  immediate  reference  to  sensible  objects  ;  in  after  days,  when  they 
began  to  discern  with  their  intellect,  they  took  those  words  which  they 
found  already  made,  and  transferred  .hem  by  metaphor,  to  intellectual  con 
ceptions. 

191 


ANDAIG  WEOS,  OR  CROWS-FLESH. 

MANY  persons  among  the  Indian  race,  have  attracted  notice  from  their 
exploits  on  the  war-path.  Andaig  Weos  was  not  among  the  nunv 
ber  of  these,  or  if  he  had  mingled  in  such  events,  his  deeds  of  daring 
are  now  lost  amid  the  remembrance  of  better  qualities.  He  was  a  chief 
of  the  once  prominent  and  reigning  band  of  Odjibwa  Algonquins,  who 
are  called  Chippewas,  located  at  Chegoimgon,  on  Lake  Superior,  where 
his  name  is  cherished  in  local  tradition,  for  the  noble  and  disinterested 
deeds  which  he  performed  in  former  days.  He  lived  in  the  latter  part  of 
the  18th  century. 

It  was  perhaps  forty  years  ago — said  rny  informant,  it  was  while  the 
late  Mr.  Nolin,  of  Sault  Ste.  Maries  was  a  trader  in  the  Chippewa  country, 
between  lake  Superior  and  the  Mississippi,  that  he  wintered  one  year  low 
down  on  the  Chippewa  river.  On  his  way  down  this  stream,  and  while 
he  was  still  on  one  of  its  sources,  cold  weather  set  in  suddenly,  the  ice 
formed,  and  he  was  unable  to  get  on  with  his  goods.  He  consequently 
put  them  en  cache,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  country,  and  proceeded 
on  foot,  with  his  men  to  the  lower  part  of  the  river,  to  the  spot  at  which 
he  had  determined  to  winter.  Here  he  felled  trees,  and  built  his  house, 
and  having  made  all  things  ready,  he  set  out  with  his  men  on  his  return 
to  his  cache,  in  order  to  bring  down  his  goods. 

On  the  way  he  fell  in  with  an  Indian  hunter  and  his  wife,  who  followed 
him  to  the  place  where  he  had  secreted  his  goods.  On  reaching  this,  he 
rilled  a  bottle  with  spirits  and  gave  a  glass  to  each  of  his  men,  took  one 
himself,  and  then  filling  the  glass  presented  it  to  the  Indian.  This  was 
done  after  the  camp  had  been  made  for  the  night.  It  so  happened  that 
the  Indian  was  taken  suddenly  ill  that  night,  and  before  day  light  died. 
Nolin  and  his  men  buried  him,  and  then  proceeded  back  to  his  wintering 
house  below,  each  man  carrying  a  pack  of  goods ;  and  the  widow  rejoined 
her  friends. 

After  the  Indians  had  taken  their  credits,  and  dispersed  to  their  several 
wintering  grounds,  it  was  rumoured  amongst  them,  that  the  trader  hid 

192 


ANDAIG    WEOS,    OR    CROWS-FLESH. 

administered  poison  to  the  Indian  who  lied  so  suddenly  after  taking  the 
glass  of  spirits.  And  this  opinion  gained  ground,  although  the  widow  wo 
man  repeatedly  told  the  Indians,  that  the  liquor  given  to  her  deceased 
husband  was  from  the  same  bottle  and  glass,  that  all  the  French  people 
had  drank  from.  But  it  was  of  no  avail ;  the  rumour  grew,  and  Mr. 
Nolin  began  to  be  apprehensive,  as  he  had  already  learnt  that  the  Indians 
meant  to  kill  him.  To  confirm  this  suspicion  a  party  of  forty  men,  soon 
after,  entered  his  house,  all  armed,  painted  black,  and  with  war  dresses 
on.  They  were  all  presented  with  a  piece  of  tobacco,  as  was  customary, 
when  each  of  them  threw  it  into  the  fire.  No  alternative  now  appeared 
to  remain  to  avert  the  blow,  which  he  was  convinced  must  soon  follow. 
Almost  at  the  same  instant,  his  men  intimated  that  another  party,  of  six 
men  more,  were  arriving. 

It  proved  to  be  the  chief  Andaig  Weos,  from  near  Lac  du  Flambeau, 
n  search  of  a  trader,  for  a  supply  of  tobacco  and  ammunition.  On  entering, 
the  chief  eyed  the  warriors,  and  asked  Mr.  N.  whether  he  had  given  them 
tobacco.  He  replied  that  he  had,  and  that  they  had  all,  to  a  man,  thrown 
it  in  the  fire,  and,  he  added,  that  they  intended  to  kill  him.  The  chief 
asked  for  some  tobacco,  which  he  threw  down  before  the  warriors,  telling 
them  to  smoke  it,  adding  in  an  authoritive  voice,  that  when  Indians  visited 
traders,  it  was  with  an  intention  of  getting  tobacco  from  them  to  smoke  and 
and  not  to  throw  into  the  fire  ;  and  that,  for  his  part,  he  had  been  a  long 
time  without  smoking,  and  was  very  happy  to  find  a  trader  to  supply  him 
with  that  article.  This  present  from  him,  with  the  rebuke,  was  received 
with  silent  acquiescence, — no  one  venturing  a  reply. 

The  chief  next  demanded  liquor  of  the  trader,  saying,  "  that  he  in 
tended  to  make  them  drink."  The  politic  Frenchman  remonstrated, 
saying,  "that  if  this  was  done,  he  should  surely  he  killed."  "Fear  not, 
Frenchman,"  replied  the  chief,  boldly.  "  These  are  not  men  who  want 
to  kill  you:  they  are  children.  I,  and  my  warriors  will  guard  you."  On 
these  assurances,  a  keg  of  liquor  was  given,  but  with  the  greatest  reluc 
tance.  The  chief  immediately  presented  it  to  the  war-party,  but  cautioned 
them  to  drink  it  at  a  distance,  and  not  to  come  nigh  the  trader  during  the 
night.  They  obeyed  him.  They  took  it  a  short  distance  and  drank  it, 
and  kept  up  a  dreadful  yelling-  all  night,  but  did  not  molest  the  house. 

The  next  morning  Andaig  Weos  demanded  tobacco  of  the  still  uneasy 
marchand  voyageur,  and  ordered  one  of  his  young  men  to  distribute  it  to 
the  Indians  in  the  war-dress.  He  then  rose  and  addressed  them  in  an 
energetic  and  authoritative  speech,  telling  them  to  march  off,  without  tasting 
food;  that  they  were  warriors,  and  needed  not  any  thing  of  the  kind ; 
and  if  they  did,  they  were  hunters, — they  had  guns,  and  might  hunt,  and 
kill  and  eat.  «  You  get  nothing  more  here,"  he  added.  "  This  trader 
has  come  here  to  supply  your  wants,  and  you  seek  to  kill  him — a  poor  re 
ward  for  the  trouble  and  the  anxiety  he  has  undergone !  This  is  no  way 

13 


J94  ANDAIG   WEOSj    OR    CROWS-FLESH. 

of  requiting  white  people."  They  all,  to  a  man  started,  and  went  off,  and 
gave  the  trader  no  farther  molestation  while  he  remained  in  the  country. 

On  another  occasion  Andaig  Weos  was  placed  in  a  situation  which 
afforded  a  very  different  species  of  testimony  to  his  principles  and  integrity. 
A  French  trader  had  entered  lake  Superior  so  late  in  the  season,  that 
with  every  effort,  he  could  get  no  farther  than  Pointe  La  Petite  Fille,  be 
fore  the  ice  arrested  his  progress.  Here  he  was  obliged  to  build  his  winter 
ing  house,  but  he  soon  ran  short  of  provisions,  and  was  obliged  to  visit  La 
Pointe,  with  his  men,  in  order  to  obtain  fish — leaving  his  house  and  store 
room  locked,  with  his  goods,  ammunition,  and  liquors,  and  resolving  to 
return  immediately.  But  the  weather  came  on  so  bad,  that  there  was  no 
possibility  of  his  immediate  return,  and  the  winter  proved  so  unfavourable 
that  he  was  obliged  to  spend  two  months  at  that  post. 

During  this  time,  the  chief  Andaig  Weos,  with  fifteen  of  his  men,  carm 
out  from  the  interior,  to  the  shores  of  the  lake,  for  the  purpose  of  trading, 
each  carrying  a  pack  of  beaver,  or  other  furs.  On  arriving  at  the  pom1? 
La  Petite  Fille,  they  found  the  trader's  house  locked  and  no  one  there. 
The  chief  said  to  his  followers.— It  is  customary  for  traders  to  invite  In 
dians  into  their  house,  and  to  receive  them  politely ;  but  as  there  is  n<i> 
one  to  receive  us,  we  must  act  according  to  circumstances.  He  then 
ordered  the  door  to  be  opened,  with  as  little  injury  as  possible,  walked  in, 
with  his  party,  and  caused  a  good  fire  to  be  built  in  the  chimney.  On 
opening  the  store-door  he  found  they  could  be  supplied  with  all  they 
wanted.  He  told  his  party,  on  no  account  to  touch,  or  take  away  any 
thing,  but  shut  up  the  door,  and  said,  "  that  he  would,  on  the  morrow,  act 
the  trader's  part." 

They  spent  the  night  in  the  house.  Early  the  next  morning,  he  arose 
and  addressed  them,  telling  them,  that  he  would  now  commence  trading 
with  them.  This  he  accordingly  did,  and  when  all  was  finished,  he  care 
fully  packed  the  furs,  and  piled  the  packs,  and  covered  them  with  an  oil 
cloth.  He  then  again  addressed  them,  saying  that  it  was  customary  for 
a  trader  to  give  tobacco  and  a  keg  of  spirits,  when  Indians  had  traded 
handsomely.  He,  therefore,  thought  himself  authorized  to  observe  this 
rule,  and  accordingly  gave  a  keg  of  spirits  and  some  tobacco.  "  The 
spirits,"  he  said,  "  must  not  be  drank  here.  We  must  take  it  to  our 
hunting  camp,"  and  gave  orders  for  returning  immediately.  He  then 
caused  the  doors  to  be  shut,  in  the  best  manner  possible,  and  the  outer 
door  to  be  barricaded  with  logs,  and  departed. 

When  the  trader  returned,  and  found  his  house  had  been  broken  open, 
he  began  to  bewail  his  fate,  being  sure  he  had  been  robbed ;  but  on  enter 
ing  his  storf  room  and  beholding  the  furs,  his  fears  were  turned  to  joy. 
On  examining  his  inventory,  and  comparing  it  with  the  amount  of  his 
furs,  he  declared,  that  had  he  been  present,  he  could  not  have  traded  to 
better  advantage,  nor  have  made  such  a  profit  on  his  goods. 


ANDAIG   WEOS,    OR    CROWS-FLESH.  195 

These  traits  are  not  solitary  and  accidental.  It  happened  at  another 
,ime,  that  a  Mr.  Lamotte,  who  had  wintered  in  the  Folle-avoine  country, 
unfortunately  had  a  quarrel  with  the  Indians,  at  the  close  of  the  season, 
just  when  he  was  ahout  to  embark  on  his  return  with  his  furs.  In  the 
heat  of  their  passion  the  Indians  broke  all-  his  canoes  in  pieces,  and  con 
fined  him  a  prisoner,  by  ordering  him  to  encamp  on  an  island  in  the  St. 
Croix  river. 

In  this  situation  he  remained,  closely  watched  by  the  Indians,  till  all 
the  other  traders  had  departed  and  gone  out  of  the  country  to  renew  their 
supplies,  when  the  chief  Andaig  Weos  arrived.  He  comprehended  the 
case  in  an  instant,  and  having  found  that  the  matter  of  offence  was  one  of 
no  importance,  he  immediately  went  to  the  Indian  village,  and  in  a  loud 
and  authoritative  tone  of  voice,  so  as  to  be  heard  by  all,  commanded  suit 
able  canoes  to  be  taken  to  the  imprisoned  trader — a  summons  which  was 
promptly  obeyed.  He  then  went  to  Mr.  Lamotte  and  told  him  to  embark 
fearlessly,  and  that  he  himself  would  see  that  he  was  not  further  hindered,, 
at  the  same  time  lamenting  the  lateness  of  his  return. 

The  general  conduct  of  this  chief  was  marked  by  kindness  and  ur 
banity.  When  traders  arrived  at  Chagoimegon,  where  he  lived,  it  was 
his  custom  to  order  his  youn^pmen  to  cover  and  protect  their  baggage  lest 
any  thing  should  be  injured  or  stolen.  He  was  of  the  lineage  of  the 
noted  war-chief,  Abojeeg,  or  Wab  Ojeeg.  He  lived  to  be  very  old,  so  that 
he  walked  nearly  bent  double — using  a  cane.  The  present  ruling  chief  of 
that  place,  called  Pezhickee,  is  his  grandson.  These  anecdotes  were  re 
lated  by  Mr.  Cadotte,  of  Lapointe,  in  the  year  1829,  and  are  believed  to 
be  entitled  to  full  confidence. 


The  Tartars  cannot  pronounce  the  letter  b.  Those  of  Bulgaria  pro 
nounce  the  word  blacks  as  if  written  ilacs.  It  is  noticeable,  that  the  Odji- 
bwas  and  their  cognate  tribes  at  the  north,  not  only  make  great  use  of  the 
letter  b,  in  native  words,  but  when  they  come  to  pronounce  English 
words,  in  which  the  letter  v  occurs,  they  invariably  substitute  the  b  for  it, 
as  in  village,  and  vinegar.  * 

There  are  three  letters  in  the  English  alphabet  which  the  above  tribes 
do  not  pronounce.  They  are  f,  r,  and  1.  For  f,  they  substitute,  in  their 
attempts  to  pronounce  foreign  words,  p.  The  sound  of  r,  they  change  to 
broad  a,  or  drop.  L  is  changed  to  n. 

Singing  and  dancing  are  applied  to  political  and  to  religious  purposes 
by  the  Indians.  When  they  wish  to  raise  a  war-party,  they  meet  to  sing 
and  dance :  when  they  wish  to  supplicate  the  divine  mercy  on  a  sick  per 
son,  they  assemble  in  a  lodge,  to  sing  and  dance.  No  grave  act  is  per 
formed  without  singing  and  dancing. 


ORIGIN 

AND 


HISTORY  OF  THE  EACE 


WYANDOT  TRADITIONS  OF  THE  CREATION, 
AND  OTHER  EPOCHS. 

THE  following  traditions  of  the  creation  of  man,  and  of  the  Red  Race  ; 
of  the  order  of  precedence  and  relationship  among  the  tribes,  and  the  no 
tice  of  the  first  arrival  of  Europeans  on  the  continent,  together  with  the 
allegories  of  Good  and  Evil,  and  of  Civilization  and  Barbarism,  are  ex 
tracted  from  a  private  journal,  kept  during  the  period  of  my  official  inter 
course  with  the  various  tribes. 

Superintendency  Indian  Affairs, 

Detroit,  January  30th,  1837. 

A  delegation  of  three  Wyandot  chiefs  visited  me,  this  day,  from  their 
location  near  Amherstburg  in  Canada,  with  their  interpreter,  George  C. 
Martin.  Their  names  were  0-ri-wa-hen-to,  or  Charlo,  On-ha-to-tun-youh, 
or  Round  Head,  son  of  Round  Head,  the  brother  of  Splitlog,  and  Ty-er- 
on-youh,  or  Thomas  Clark.  They  informed  me,  in  reply  to  a  question, 
that  the  present  population  of  their  band,  at  that  location,  was  eighty-six 
souls.  After  transacting  their  business,  I  proposed  several  questions  to 
them  respecting  their  origin  and  history. 

1.  What  is  the  origin  of  the  Indians  ?  We  believe  that  all  men  sprang 
from  one  man  and  woman,  who  were  made  by  God,  in  parts  beyond  the 
sea.  But  in  speaking  of  the  Indians  we  say,  how  did  they  cross  the  sea 
without  ships  ?  and  when  did  they  come  ?  and  from  what  country  ? 
What  is  your  opinion  on  the  subject  ? 

Oriwahento  answered :  "  The  old  chief,  Splitlog,  who  could  answer 
you,  is  not  able  to  come  to  see  you  from  his  age  and  feebleness  ;  but  he 
has  sent  us  three  to  speak  with  you.  We  will  do  the  best  we  can.  We 
are  not  able  to  read  and  write,  like  white  men,  and  what  you  ask  is  not 
therefore  to  be  found  in  black  and  white."  (This  remark  was  probably 
made  as  they  observed  I  took  notes  of  the  interview.) 

"  There  was,  in  ancient  times,  something  the  matter  with  the  earth,  it 
has  changed.  We  think  so.  We  be.ieve  God  created  it,  and  made  men 
out  of  it.  We  think  he  made  the  Indians  in  this  country,  and  that  they 
did  not  come  over  the  sea.  They  were  created  at  a  place  called  MOUN- 

196 


WYANDOT    TRADITIONS    OP    THE    CREATION.  197 

TAINS.  It  was  eastward.  When  he  had  made  the  earth  and  those  moun 
tains,  he  covered  something  over  the  earth,  as  it  were,  with  his  hand. 
Below  this,  he  put  man.  All  the  different  tribes  were  there.  One  of  the 
young  men  found  his  way  out  to  the  surface.  He  saw  a  great  light,  and 
was  delighted  with  the  beauty  of  the  surface.  While  gazing  around,  he 
saw  a  deer  running  past,  with  an  arrow  in  his  side.  Ho  followed  it,  to 
the  place  where  it  fell  and  died.  He  thought  it  was  a  harmless  looking 
animal.  He  looked  back  to  see  its  tracks,  and  he  soon  saw  other  tracks. 
They  were  the  foot  prints  of  the  person  who  had  shot  the  deer.  He  soon 
came  up.  It  was  the  creator  himself.  He  had  taken  this  method  to  show 
the  Indians  what  they  must  do,  when  they  came  out  from  the  earth. 
The  creator  showed  him  how  to  skin  and  dress  the  animal,  bidding 
him  do  so  and  so,  as  he  directed  him.  When  the  flesh  was  ready, 
he  told  him  to  make  a  fire.  But  he  was  perfectly  ignorant.  God  made 
the  fire.  He  then  directed  him  to  put  a  portion  of  the  meat  on  a  stick, 
and  roast  it  before  the  fire.  But  he  was  so  ignorant  that  he  let  it  stand  till 
it  burned  on  one  side,  while  the  other  was  raw. 

Having  taught  this  man  the  hunter's  art,  so  that  he  could  teach  it  to 
others,  God  called  the  Indians  forth  out  of  the  earth.  They  came  in 
/order,  by  tribes,  and  to  each  tribe  he  appointed  a  chief.  He  appointed 
one  Head  Chief  to  lead  them  all,  who  had  something  about  his  neck,  and 
he  instructed  him,  and  put  it  into  his  head  what  to  say  to  the  tribes. 
That  he  might  have  an  opportunity  to  do  so,  a  certain  animal  was  killed, 
and  a  feast  made,  in  which  they  were  told  to  eat  it  all.  The  leader  God 
had  so  chosen,  told  the  tribes  what  they  must  do,  to  please  their  maker, 
and  what  they  must  not  do. 

Oriwahento  further  said :  God  also  made  Good  and  Evil.  They  were 
brothers.  The  one  went  forth  to  do  good,  and  caused  pleasant 
things  to  grow.  The  other  busied  himself  in  thwarting  his  brother's 
work.  He  made  stony  and  flinty  places,  and  caused  bad  fruits,  and  made 
continual  mischief  among  men.  Good  repaired  the  mischief  as  fast  as  it 
was  done,  but  he  found  his  labour  never  done.  He  determined  to  fly 
upon  his  brother  and  destroy  him,  but  not  by  violence.  He  proposed  to 
run  a  race  with  him.  Evil  consented,  and  they  fixed  upon  the  place.  But 
first  tell  me,  said  Good,  what  is  it  you  most  dread.  Bucks  horns !  replied 
he,  and  tell  me  what  is  most  hurtful  to  you.  Indian  grass  braid !  said 
Good.  Evil  immediately  went  to  his  grandmother,  who  made  braid,  and 
got  large  quantities  of  it,  which  he  put  in  the  path  and  hung  on  the  limbs 
that  grew  by  the  path  where  Good  was  to  run.  Good  also  filled  the  path 
of  his  brother  with  the  dreaded  horns.  A  question  arose  who  should  run 
first.  I,  said  Good,  will  begin,  since  the  proposition  to  try  our  skill  first 
came  from  me.  He  accordingly  set  out,  his  brother  following  him.  But 
as  he  began  to  feel  exhausted  at  noon,  he  took  up  the  grass  braid  and  eat 
it  This  sustained  him,  and  he  tired  down  his  brother  before  night,  who 


198  WYANDOT    TRADITIONS    OF    THE    CREATION. 

entreated  him  to  stop.  He  did  not,  however,  cease,  till  he  had  successfully 
reached  the  goal. 

The  next  day  Evil  started  on  his  path.  He  was  encountered  every 
where  by  the  horns,  which  before  noon  had  greatly  weakened  him.  He 
entreated  to  be  relieved  from  going  on.  Good  insisted  on  his  running  the 
course.  He  sustained  himself  'till  sunset,  when  he  fell  in  the  path,  and 
was  finally  dispatched  by  one  of  the  horns  wielded  by  his  brother. 

Good  now  returned  in  triumph  to  his  grandmother's  lodge.  But  she 
was  in  an  ill  humour,  as  she  always  was,  and  hated  him  and  loved  his 
brother  whom  he  had  killed.  He  wanted  to  rest,  but  at  night  was  awoke 
by  a  conversation  between  her  and  the  ghost  of  Evil.  The  latter  pleaded 
to  come  in,  but  although  he  felt  for  him,  he  did  not  allow  his  fraternal 
feelings  to  get  the  better,  and  resolutely  denied  admission.  Then  said 
Evil  "  I  go  to  the  north-west,  and  you  will  never  see  me  more,  and  all  who 
follow  me  will  -be  in  the  same  state.  They  will  never  come  back.  Death 
will  for  ever  keep  them." 

Having  thus  rid  himself  of  his  adversary,  he  thought  he  would  walk 
out  and  see  how  things  were  going  on,  since  there  was  no  one  to  oppose 
his  doing  good.  After  travelling  some  time  he  saw  a  living  object  a-head. 
As  he  drew  nearer,  he  saw  more  plainly.  It  was  a  naked  man.  They 
began  to  talk  to  each  other.  "  I  am  walking  to  see  the  creation,  which  I 
have  made,"  said  Good,  "  but  who  are  you  ?"  "  Clothed  man,"  said  he,  "I 
am  as  powerful  as  you,  and  have  made  all  that  land  you  see."  "  Naked 
man,"  he  re.plied,  "  I  have  made  all  things,  but  do  not  recollect  making 
you."  "You  shall  see  my  power,"  said  the  naked  man,  "we  will  try 
strength.  Call  to  yonder  mountain  to  come  here,  and  afterwards  I  will  do 
the  same,  and  we  will  see  who  has  the  greatest  power."  The  clothed  man 
fell  down  on  his  knees,  and  began  to  pray,  but  the  effort  did  not  succeed,  or 
but  partially.  Then  the  naked  man  drew  a  rattle  from  his  belt,  and  be 
gan  to  shake  it  and  mutter,  having  first  blindfolded  the  other.  After  a 
time,  now  said  he,  "  look !"  He  did  so,  and  the  mountain  stood  close  be 
fore  him,  and  rose  up  to  the  clouds.  He  then  blindfolded  him  again,  and 
resumed  his  rattle  and  muttering.  The  mountain  had  resumed  its  former 
distant  position. 

The  clothed  man  held  in  his  left  hand  a  sword,  and  in  his  right  hand 
the  law  of  God.  The  naked  man  had  a  rattle  in  one  hand,  and  a  war 
club  in  the  other.  They  exchanged  the  knowledge  of  the  respective  uses 
of  these  things.  To  show  the  power  of  the  sword,  the  clothed  man  cut 
off  a  rod,  and  placed  it  before  him.  The  naked  man  immediately  put  the 
parts  together  and  they  were  healed.  He  then  took  his  club,  which  was 
flat,  and  cut  off  the  rod,  and  again  healed  the  mutilated  parts.  He  relied 
on  the  rattle  to  answer  the  same  purpose  as  the  other's  book.  The  clothed 
man  tried  the  use  of  the  dub,  but  could  not  use  it  with  skill,  while  the 
naked  man  took  the  sword  and  used  it  as  well  as  the  other. 


WYANDOT    TRADITIONS     3F    THE    CREATION.  199 

Oriwahento  continued : — It  is  said  that  Evil  killed  his  mother  at  his. 
birth.  He  did  not  enter  the  world  the  right  way,  but  bursted  from  the 
womb.  They  took  the  body  of  the  mother  and  laid  it  upon  a  scaffold. 
From  the  droppings  of  her^decay,  where  they  fell  on  the  ground,  sprang 
up  corn,  tobacco,  and  such  other  vegetable  productions  as  the  Indiana 
have.  Hence  we  call  corn,  our  mother.  And  our  tobacco  propagates  it 
self  by  spontaneous  growth,  without  planting  ;  but  the  clothed  man  is  re 
quired  to  labour  in  raising  it. 

Good  found  his  grandmother  in  no  better  humor  when  he  came  back 
from  the  interview  with  the  naked  man.  He  therefore  took  and  cast  her 
up,  and  she  flew  against  the  moon,  upon  whose  face  the  traces  of  her  are 
still  to  be  seen. 

This  comprised  the  first  interview ;  after  a  recess  during  which  they 
were  permitted  to  refresh  themselves  and  smoke  their  pipes,  I  returned  to 
the  office  and  resumed  the  inquiries. 

2.  Where  did  your  tribe  first  see  white  men  on  this  continent?  The 
French  say  you  lived  on  the  St.*  Lawrence,  and  afterwards  went  to  the 
north,  from  whence  you  afterwards  came  down  to  the  vicinity  of  Detroit 
That  you  possess  the  privilege  of  lighting  up  the  general  council  fire  for 
the  Lake  tribes  ;  and  that  you  were  converted  to  the  catholic  faith.  Ori 
wahento  again  answered. 

When  the  tribes  were  all  settled,  the  Wyandots  were  placed  at  the  head 
They  lived  in  the  interior,  at  the  mountains  east,  about  the  St.  Lawrence. 
They  were  the  first  tribe  of  old,  and  had  the  first  chieftainship.  The 
cnief  said  to  their  nephew,  the  Lenapees,  Go  down  to  the  sea  coast  and 
look,  and  if  you  see  any  thing  bring  me  word.  They  had  a  village  near 
the  sea  side,  and  often  looked,  but  saw  nothing  except  birds.  At  length 
they  espied  an  object,  which  seemed  to  grow  and  come  nearer,  and  nearer. 
When  it  came  near  the  land  it  stopped,  but  all  the  people  were  afraid,  and 
fled  to  the  woods.  The  next  day,  two  of  their  number  ventured  out  to 
look.  It  was  lying  quietly  on  the  water.  A  smaller  object  of  the  same 
sort  came  out  of  it,  and  walked  with  long  legs  (oars)  over  the  water. 
When  it  came  to  land  two  men  came  out  of  it.  They  were  different  from 
us  and  made  signs  for  the  others  to  come  out  of  the  woods.  A  conference 
ensued.  Presents  were  exchanged.  They  gave  presents  to  the  Lenapees, 
and  the  latter  gave  them  their  skin  clothes  as  curiosities.  Three  distinct 
visits,  at  separate  times,  and  long  intervals,  were  made.  The  mode  in 
which  the  white  men  got  a  footing,  and  power  in  the  country  was  this. ' 
First,  room  was  asked,  and  leave  given  to  place  a  chair  on  the  shore. 
But  they  soon  began  to  pull  the  lacing  out  of  its  bottom,  and  go  inland 
with  it ;  and  they  have  not  yet  come  to  the  end  of  the  string.  He 
exemplified  this  original  demand  for  a  cession  of  territory  and  its  re 
newal  at  other  epochs,  by  other  figures  of  speech,  namely,  of  a  bull's 
hide,  and  of  a  man  walking.  The  first  request  for  a  seat  on  the 


200  WYANDOT    TRADITIONS    OF    THE    CREATION. 

shore,  was  made  he  said  of  the  Lenapees  ;  alluding  to  -the  cognate 
branches  of  this  stock,  who  were  anciently  settled  at  the  harbour  of  New 
York,  and  that  vicinity. 

To  the  question  of  their  fligiit  from  the  St.  Lawrence,  their  settlement  in 
the  north,  and  their  subsequent  migration  to,  and  settlemeut  on,  the  straits 
of  Detroit,  Oriwahento  said : 

The  Wyandots  were  proud.  God  had  said  that  such  should  be  beaten 
and  brought  low.  This  is  the  cause  why  we  were  followed  from  the 
east,  and  went  up  north  away  to  Michilimackinac,  but  as  we  had  the 
right  before,  so  when  we  came  back,  the  tribes  looked  up  to  us,  as  hold 
ing  the  council  fire.* 

3.  What  relationship  do  you  acknowledge,  to  the  other  western 
tribes  ? 

Answer  by  Oriwahento:  We  call  the  Lenapees, nepheics ;  we  call  the 
Odjibwas  (Chippewas)  Ottawas,  Miamis  &c.  Younger  Brother.  We  call 
the  Shawnees,  the  Youngest  Brother.  The  Wyandots  were  the  first  tribe 
in  ancient  times.  The  first  chieftainship  was  in  their  tribe. 


SUPPLEMENTARY  QUESTIONS  TO  THE  INTERPRTER. 

1.  Are  the  Wyandot  and  Mohawk  languages,  alike  in  sounds.     You 
say,  you  speak  both. 

Ans.  Not  at  all  alike.  It  is  true  there  are  a  few  words  so,  but  the  two 
languages  do  not  seem  to  me  more  akin  than  English  and  French.  You 
know  some  English  and  French  words  are  alike.  The  Mohawk  lan 
guage  is  on  the  tongue,  the  Wyandot  is  in  the  throat. 

2.  Give  me  some  examples  :     Read  some  of  this  translation  of  the  Mo 
hawk,  (handing  him  John's  Gospel  printed  by  the  American  Bible  So 
ciety  in  1818.)     He  complied,  reading  it  fluently,  and  appearing  to  have 
been  acquainted  with  the  translation. 

Further  conversation,  in  which  his  attention  was  drawn  to  particular 
facts  in  its  structure  and  principles,  made  him  see  stronger  analogies  be 
tween  the  two  tongues.  It  was  quite  evident,  that  he  had  never  reflected 
on  the  subject,  and  that  there  were,  both  grammatically,  and  philologically, 
coincidences  beyond  his  depth. 

*  This  is  certainly  a  dignified  and  wise  answer  ;  designed  as  it  was,  to  cover  their 
disastrous  defeat  and  flight  from  the  St.  Lawrence  valley  to  the  north.  The  prece 
dence  to  which  he  alludes,  on  reaching  the  straits  of  Detroit,  as  having  been  theirs  be 
fore,  is  to  be  understood,  doubtless,  of  the  era  of  their  residence  on  the  lower  St.  Law 
rence,  where  they  were  at  the  head  of  the  French  and  Indian  confederacy  against  the 
Iroquois.  Amopg  the  latter,  they  certainly  had  no  precedency,  so  far  as  history 
reaches.  Their  council  fire  was  kept  by  the  Onondagas. 

H.  R-  8 


TRADITIONS    OF    THE    ARCTIDES. 

There  are  some  curious  traditions  related  by  the  race  of  people  living 
on  that  part  of  the  continent  lying  north  and  west  of  Athabasca  lake,  and 
the  river  Unjrgah.  Mackenzie  has  described  that  branch  of  them,  who 
are  called  by  the  trivial  name  of  Che-pe-wyans.  This  is  an  Algonquin 
term,  meaning  puckered  blankets,  and  has  reference  only  to  the  most 
easterly  and  southerly  division  of  the  race.  They  are  but  the  van  of  an 
extensive  race.  All  that  gives  identity  to  their  general  traditions,  and  dis 
tinctive  character  and  language,  relates  as  well  to  the  Dogribs,  the  Cop- 
permines,  the  Strongbows,  the  Ambawtawoots,  the  Hares,  the  Brush 
woods,  the  Sursees,  the  Tacullies,  the  Nateotetains,  and  other  tribes  lo 
cated  north  of  them,  extending  to  the  Arctic  Ocean,  and  west  through  the 
Peace  river  pass  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Philology  brings  into  one 
groupe  all  these  dialects  of  a  wide  spread  race,  who  extend  from  the  bor 
ders  of  the  Atnah  nation  on  the  Columbia,  across  the  Rocky  Mountains 
eastwardly  to  the  Lake  of  the  Hills  and  the  Missinipi  or  Churchill  river, 
covering  many  degrees  of  latitude  and  longitude.  In  the  absence  of  any 
generic  name  for  them,  founded  on  language  or  character,  I  shall  allude 
to  them  under  the  geographical  phrase  of  ARCTIDES. 

This  stock  of  people  have  proceeded  from  the  direction  of  the  North 
Pacific  towards  the  Atlantic  waters,  in  a  general  eastern  direction,  in 
which  respect,  their  history  forms  a  striking  exception  to  the  other  great 
stocks  of  the  eastern  part  of  the  United  States,  the  Canadas,  and  Hudson's 
bay,  who  have  been  in  a  continual  progress  towards  the  WEST  and  NORTH 
WEST,  The  Arctides,  on  the  contrary,  have  proceeded  EAST  and  SOUTHEAST. 
They  may  be  supposed,  therefore,  to  bring  their  traditions  more  directly 
from  opposite  portions  of  the  continent,  and  from  Asia,  and  it  may  be  in 
ferred,  from  more  unmixed  and  primitive  sources.  Some  of  these  tradi 
tions  are,  at  least,  of  a  curious  and  striking  character.  They  believe,  like 
the  more  southerly  tribes,  in  the  general  tradition  of  a  deluge,  and  of  a 
paradise,  or  land  of  future  Hiss.  They  Vave  apparently,  veiled  the  Great 

201 


202  TRADITIONS    OP    THE    ARCTIDES. 

Spirit,  or  creator  of  the  globe,  under  the  allegory  of  a  gigantic  bird.  They 
believe,  that  there  was  originally  nothing  visible  but  one  vast  ocean. 
Upon  this  the  bird  descended  from  the  sky,  with  a  noise  of  his  wings 
which  produced  sounds  resembling  thunder.  The  earth,  as  he  alighted, 
immediately  rose  above  the  waters.  This  bird  of  creative  power,  then 
made  all  the  classes  of  animals,  who  were  made  out  of  earth.  They  all 
had  precedency  to  man.  Man  alone,  the  last  in  the  series,  was  created 
from  the  integument  of  a  dog.  This,  they  believe,  was  their  own  origin, 
and  hence,  as  Mackenzie  tells  us,  they  will  not  eat  the  flesh  of  this  animal, 
as  is  done  by  the  other  tribes  of  the  continent.  To  guard  and  protect 
them,  he  then  made  a  magic  arrow,  which  they  were  to  preserve  with 
great  care,  and  hold  sacred.  But  they  were  so  thoughtless,  they  add,  as 
to  carry  it  away  and  lose  it,  upon  which  the  great  bird  took  his  flight,  and 
has  never  since  appeared.  This  magic  arrow  is  doubtless  to  be  regarded 
as  a  symbol  of  something  else,  which  was  very  essential  to  their  safety 
and  happiness.  Indian  history  is  often  disguised  under  such  symbolic 
forms. 

They  have  also  a  tradition  that  they  originally  came  from  a  foreign 
country,  which  was  inhabited  by  a  wicked  people.  They  had  to  cross  a 
great  lake,  or  water,  which  was  shallow,  narrow,  and  full  of  islands. 
Their  track  lay  also  through  snow  and  ice,  and  they  suffered  miserably 
from  cold.  They  first  landed  at  the  mouth  of  the  Coppermine  river. 
The  earth  thereabouts  was  then  strewed  with  metallic  copper,  which  has 
since  disappeared. 

They  believe  that,  in  ancient  times,  men  lived  till  their  feet  were  worn 
out  with  walking,  and  their  throats  with  eating.  They  represent  their 
ancestors  as  living  to  very  great  ages.  They  describe  a  deluge,  in  which 
the  waters  spread  over  the  whole  earth,  except  the  highest  mountains,  on 
which  their  progenitors  were  saved. 

Their  notions  of  a  future  state  coincide  generally  with  the  other  stocks. 
But  their  paradise  is  clothed  with  more  imaginative  traits.  They  oelieve, 
that  at  death  they  pass  immediately  to  another  world,  where  there  is  a  large 
river  of  water  to  cross.  They  must  embark  in  a  stone  canoe,  and  are 
borne  along  into  a  wide  lake,  which  has  an  island  in  its  centre.  This  is 
the  island  of  the  blest,  and  the  object  of  the  disembodied  soul  is  to  reach  it 
If  their  lives  have  been  good,  they  will  be  fortunate,  and  make  it.  If  bad, 
they  will  sink  ;  but  they  will  only  sink  to  the  depth  of  their  chins,  so  that 
they  may  be  permitted  to  behold  the  happy  land,  and  strive  in  vain  to 
reach  it.  Eternity  is  passed  in  this  vain  endeavour. 

They  have  also  some  notion  of  the  doctrine  of  transmigration.  Such 
are  the  traditionary  notions  of  this  numerous  family  of  the  Red  Race, 
which  are  sufficiently  distinctive  and  peculiar, — and  while  they  resemble 
in  many  traits,  yet  in  others  they  contradistinguish  them  from  the  great 
Algic  race  of  the  eastern  part  of  the  continent.  The  most  advanced 


TRADITIONS    OP    THE    ARCTIDES  203 

branch  of  these  tribes  in  their  geographical  position,  call  themselves,  as 
reported  by  Capt.  Franklin,  People  of  the  Rising  Sun,  or  Saw-eesaw- 
dinneh. 

It  seems  singular,  that  the  farther  north  we  go,  the  greater  evidences  do 
we  behold  of  imagination,  in  the  aboriginal  race,  together  with  some  fore- 
shadowings  of  future  punishment. 


HISTORICAL  TRADITIONS  OF  THE    CHIPPEWAS,  ODJIB- 
WAS,  OR  ODJIBWA-ALGONQUINS. 

OF  all  the  existing  branches  of  the  Algonquin  stock  in  America,  this 
extensive  and  populous  tribe  appears  to  have  the  strongest  claims  to  intel 
lectual  distinction,  on  the  score  of  their  traditions,  so  far,  at  least,  as  the 
present  state  of  our  inquiries  extends.  They  possess,  in  their  curious 
fictitious  legends  and  lodge-tales,  a  varied  and  exhaustless  fund  of  tradition, 
which  is  repeated  from  generation  to  generation.  These  legends  hold, 
among  the  wild  men  of  the  north,  the  relative  rank  of  story-books ;  and 
are  intended  both  to  amuse  and  instruct.  This  people  possess  also,  the 
art  of  picture  writing,  in  a  degree  which  denotes  that  they  have  been, 
either  more  careful,  or  more  fortunate,  in  the  preservation  of  this  very  an 
cient  art  of  the  human  race.  Warriors,  and  the  bravest  of  warriors,  they 
are  yet  an  intellectual  people. 

Their  traditions  and  belief,  on  the  origin  of  the  globe,  and  the  existence 
of  a  Supreme  Being,  are  quite  accordant  with  some  things  in  our  own 
history  and  theory.  They  believe  that  the  Great  Spirit  created  material 
•  natter,  and  that  he  made  the  earth  and  heavens,  by  the  power  of  his  will. 
He  afterwards  made  animals  and  men,  out  of  the  earth,  and  he  filled  space 
with  subordinate  spirits,  having  something  of  his  own  nature,  to  whom  he 
gave  a  part  of  his  own  power.  He  made  one  great  and  master  spirit  of 
evil,  to  whom  ho  also  gave  assimilated  and  subordinate  evil  spirits,  to 
execute  his  will.  Two  antagonist  powers,  they  believe,  were  thus  placed 
in  the  vfoild  who  are  continually  striving  lor  me  mastery,  and  who  have 
power  to  affect  the  fortunes  and  lives  of  men.  This  constitutes  the  ground 
work  of  their  religion,  sacrifices  and  worship. 

They  believe  that  animals  were  created  before  men,  and  that  they  origi 
nally,  had  rule  on  the  earth.  By  the  power  of  D6crornancy,  some  of 
these  animals  were  transformed  to  men,  who,  as  soon  as  they  assumed  this 
form,  began  to  hunt  the  animals,  and  make  war  against  them.  It  is 


204  INDIAN    TRADITIONS. 

expected  that  these  animals  will  resume  their  human  shape^  in  a  future 
state,  and  hence  their  hunters,  feign  some  clumsy  excuses,  for  their 
present  policy  of  killing  them.  They  believe  that  all  animals,  and  birds 
and  reptiles,  and  even  insects,  possess  reasoning  faculties,  and  have  souls. 
It  is  in  these  opinions,  that  we  detect  the  ancient  doctrine  of  transmigration. 

Their  most  intelligent  priests  tell  us,  that  their  forefathers  worshipped 
the  sun  :  this  luminary  was  regarded  by  them,  as  one  of  their  Medas  told 
me,  as  the  symbol  of  divine  intelligence,  and  the  figure  of  it  is  drawn  in 
their  system  of  picture  writing,  to  denote  the  Great  Spirit.  This  symbol 
very  often  occurs  in  their  pictures  of  the  medicine  dance,  and  the  wabeno 
dance,  and  other  sacred  forms  of  their  rude  inscriptions. 

They  believe,  at  least  to  some  extent,  in  a  duality  of  souls,  one  of  which 
is  fleshly,  or  corporeal,  the  other  is  incorporeal  or  mental.  The  fleshly  sou. 
goes  immediately,  at  death,  to  the  land  of  spirits,  or  future  bliss.  The 
mental  soul  abides  with  the  body,  and  hovers  round  the  place  of  sepul 
ture.  A  future  state  is  regarded  by  them,  as  a  state  of  rewards,  and  not 
of  punishments.  They  expect  to  inhabit  a  paradise,  filled  with  pleasures 
for  the  eye,  and  the  ear,  and  the  taste.  A  strong  and  universal  belief  in 
divine  mercies  absorbs  every  other  attribute  of  the  Great  Spirit,  except  his 
power  and  ubiquity ;  and  they  believe,  so  far  as  we  can  gather  it, 
that  this  mercy  will  be  shown  to  all.  There  is  not,  in  general,  a  very 
discriminating  sense  of  moral  distinctions  and  responsibilities,  and  the  faint 
out-sha  do  wings,  which  we  sometimes  hear  among  them,  of  a  deep  and 
sombre  stream  to  be  crossed  by  the  adventurous  soul,  in  its  way  to  the 
land  of  bliss,  does  not  exercise  such  a  practical  influence  over  their  lives, 
as  to  interfere  with  the  belief  of  universal  acceptance  after  death.  So 
firm  is  this  belief,  that  their  proper  and  most  reverend  term  for  the  Great 
Spirit,  is  Gezha  Monedo,  that  is  to  say,  Merciful  Spirit.  Gitchy  Monedo, 
which  is  also  employed,  is  often  an  equivocal  phrase.  The  term  Waz- 
hedud,  or  Maker,  is  used  to  designate  the  Creator,  when  speaking  of  his 
animated  works.  The  compound  phrase  Waosemigoyan,  or  universal 
Father,  is  also  heard. 

The  great  spirit  of  evil,  called  Mudje  Monedo,  and  Matche  Monito,  is 
regarded  as  a  created,  and  not  a  pre-existing  being.  Subordinate  spirits  of 
evil,  are  denoted  by  using  the  derogative  form  of  the  word,  in  sh  by 
which  Moneto  is  rendered  Monetosh.  The  exceeding  flexibility  of  the 
language  is  well  calculated  to  enable  them  to  express  distinction  of  this 
nature. 

This  tribe  has  a  general  tradition  of  a  deluge,  in  which  the  earth  was 
covered  with  water,  reaching  above  the  highest  hills,  or  mountains,  but 
not  above  a  tree  which  grew  on  the  latter,  by  climbing  which  a  man  was 
saved.  This  man  was  the  demi-god  of  their  fictions,  who  is  called  Mana- 
bozho,  by  whose  means  the  waters  were  stayed  and  the  earth  re-created. 
He  employed  for  this  purpose  various  animals  who  were  sent  to  dive 


INDIAN    TRADITIONS.  205 

4own  for  some  of  the  primordial  earth,  of  which  a  little  was,  at  length, 
brought  up  by  the  beaver,  and  this  formed  the  germ  or  nucleus  of  the  new, 
or  rather  rescued  planet.  What  particular  allegories  are  hid  under  this 
story,  is  not  certain  ;  but  it  is  known  that  this,  and  other  tribes,  are  much 
in  the  habit  of  employing  allegories,  and  symbols,  under  which  we  may 
suspect,  they  have  concealed  parts  of  their  historical  traditions  and  be 
liefs.  This  deluge  of  the  Algonquin  tribes,  was  produced,  as  their 
legends  tell,  by  the  agency  of  the  chief  of  the  evil  spirits,  symbolized  by  a 
great  serpent,  who  is  placed,  throughout  the  tale,  in  an  antagonistical  posi 
tion  to  the  demi-god  Manabosho.  This  Manabozho,  is  the  same,  it  is 
thought,  with  the  Abou,  and  the  Michabou,  or  the  Great  Hare  of  elder 
writers. 

Of  their  actual  origin  and  history,  the  Chippewas  have  no  other  certain 
tradition,  than  that  they  came  from  Wabenong,  that  is  to  say,  the  land  of  the 
EAST.  They  have  no  authentic  history,  therefore,  but  such  remembered 

is,  as  must  be  placed  subsequent  to  the  era  of  the  discovery  of  the  conti 
nent.  Whether  this  tradition  is  to  be  interpreted  as  an  ancient  one,  having 
reference  to  their  arrival  on  the  continent,  or  merely  to  the  track  of  their  mi 
gration,  after  reaching  it,  is  a  question  to  be  considered.  It  is  only  certain, 
that  they  came  to  their  present  position  on  the  banks  of  Lake  Superior,  from 
the  direction  of  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  and  were,  when  discovered,  in  the 
attitude  of  an  invading  nation,  pressing  westward  and  northward.  Their 
:tive  name  sheds  no  light  on  this  question.  They  call  themselves 
Od-jib-wdg^  which  is  the  plural  of  Odjibwa. — a  term  which  appears  to 

te  a  peculiarity  in  their  voice,  or  manner  of  utterance.  This  word 
has  been  pronounced  Chippewa  by  the  Saxon  race  in  America,  and  is 
thus  recorded  in  our  treaties  and  history.  They  are,  in  language, 
manners  and  customs,  and  other  characteristics,  a  well  marked  type  of 
the  leading  Algonquin  race,  and  indeed,  the  most  populous,  important, 
and  wide  spread  existing  branch  of  that  family  now  on  the  continent 
The  term  Chippewa,  may  be  considered  as  inveterately  fixed  by  popular 
usage,  but  in  all  disquisitions  which  have  their  philology  or  distinctive 
coaracter  m  view,  tne  true  Ternacular  term  of  Od-jib-wa,  will  be  found  to 
possess  advantages  to  writers.  The  word  Algonquin  is  still  applied  to  a 
small  local  band,  at  the  Lake  of  Two  Mountains,  on  the  Utawas  river, 
near  Montreal,  but  this  term,  first  bestowed  by  the  French,  has  long  been 
a  generic  phrase  for  the  entire  race,  who  are  identified  by  the  ties  of  a 
common  original  language  in  the  United  States  and  British  America. 
One  of  the  most  curious  opinions  of  this  people  is  their  belief  in  the 
rious  and  sacred  character  of  fire.  They  obtain  sacred  fire,  for  all 
national  and  ecclesiastical  purposes,  from  the  flint.  Their  national  pipes 
are  lighted  with  this  fire.  It  is  symbolical  of  purity.  Their  notions  of 
the  boundary  between  life  and  death,  which  is  also  symbolically  the  limit 
of  the  material  verge  between  this  and  a  future  state,  are  revealed  in  con- 


INDIAN    TRADITIONS. 

nection  with  the  exhibition  of  flames  of  fire.  They  also  make  sacrifices 
by  fire  of  some  part  of  the  first  fruits  of  the  chase.  These  traits  are  to  be 
viewed,  perhaps,  in  relation  to  their  ancient  worship  of  the  sun,  above  no 
ticed,  of  which  the  traditions  and  belief,  are  still  generally  preserved. 
The  existence  among  them  of  the  numerous  classes  of  jossakeeds,  or  mut- 
terers — (the  word  is  from  the  utterance  of  sounds  low  on  the  earth,)  is  a 
trait  that  will  remind  the  reader  of  a  similar  class  of  men,  in  early  ages, 
in  the  eastern  hemisphere.  These  persons  constitute,  indeed,  the  Magii 
of  our  western  forests.  In  the  exhibition  of  their  art,  and  of  the  peculiar 
notions  they  promulgate  on  the  subject  of  a  sacred  fire,  and  the  doctrine 
of  transmigration,  they  would  seem  to  have  their  affiliation  of  descent 
rather  with  the  disciples  of  Zoroaster  and  the  fruitful  Persian  stock,  than 
with  the  less  mentally  refined  Mongolian  hordes. 


MYTHOLOGY,    SUPERSTITIONS,   AND   RELIGION 
OF   THE   ALGONQUINS. 

THEIR  SYSTEM  OF  MANITO  WORSHIP,  AS  RECENTLY  DISCLOSED  BY  THE  CONFES 
SIONS  OF  ONE  OF  THEIR  PROPHETS  J  THEIR  LANGUAGES,  AND  CHARACTER  OF  THE 
IHANSLATIONS  OF  THE  GOSPEL  MADE  INTO  THESE  DIALECTS;  AND  THE  LEAD- 
1WQ  MOTIVES  OF  CHRISTIANS  AND  PHILANTHROPISTS  TO  PERSEVERE  IN  THEIB 
CIVILISATION  AND  CONVERSION.* 


IT  is  known  that  the  Indian  tribes  of  this  continent  live  in  a  state 
mental  bondage  to  a  class  of  men,  who  officiate  as  their  priests  and 
soothsayers.  These  men  found  their  claims  to  supernatural  power  on 
early  fastings,  dreams,  ascetic  manners  and  habits,  and  often  on  some 
real  or  feigned  fit  of  insanity.  Most  of  them  affect  a  knowledge  of 
charms  and  incantations.  They  are  provided  with  a  sack  of  mystic  im 
plements,  the  contents  of  which  are  exhibited  in  the  course  of  their  cere 
monies,  such  as  the  hollow  bones  of  some  of  the  larger  anseres,  small 
carved  representations  of  animals,  cowrie  and  other  sea-shells,  &c.  Some 
of  these  men  acquire  a  character  for  much  sanctity,  and  turn  their  influ 
ence  to  political  purposes,  either  personally  or  through  some  popular 
warrior,  as  was  instanced  in  the  success  of  the  sachems  Buchanjahela, 
Little  Turtle  and  Tecumthe. 

We  have  recently  had  an  opportunity  of  conversing  with  one  of  this 
class  of  sacred  person,  who  has  within  late  years  embraced  Christianity ; 
and  have  made  some  notes  of  the  interview,  which  we  will  advert  to  for 
the  purpose  of  exhibiting  his  testimony,  as  to  the  true  character  of  thia 

*  Ner  York  Lit.  &  Theo.  Review. 


MYTHOLOGY,    SUPERSTITIONS,    AND    RELIGION  2Q7 

class  of  impostors.  Chusco,  the  person  referred  to,  is  an  Ottawa  Indian 
who  has  long  exercised  the  priestly  office,  so  to  say,  to  his  brethren  on 
the  northern  frontiers.  He  is  now  a  man  turned  of  seventy.  He  is  of 
small  stature,  somewhat  bent  forward,  and  supports  the  infirmities  of 
age  by  walking  with  a  staff.  His  sight  is  impaired,  but  his  memory  ac 
curate,  enabling  him  to  narrate  with  particularity  events  which  transpired 
more  than  half  a  century  ago.  He  was  present  at  the  great  convocation 
of  northern  Indians  at  Greenville,  which  followed  Gen.  Wayne's  victories 
in  the  west — an  event  to  which  most  of  these  tribes  look  back,  as  an 
era  in  their  history.  He  afterwards  returned  to  his  native  country  in 
the  upper  lakes,  and  fixed  his  residence  at  Michilimackinac,  where  in 
late  years,  his  wife  became  a  convert  to  the  Christian  faith,  and  unit 
ed  herself  to  the  mission  church  on  that  island.  A  few  years  after, 
the  old  prophet,  who  despised  this  mode  of  faith,  and  thought  but  little 
of  his  wife's  sagacity  in  uniting  herself  to  a  congregation  of  believers,  felt 
his  own  mind  arrested  by  the  same  truths,  and  finally  also  embraced 
them,  and  was  propounded  for  admission,  and  afterwards  kept  on  trial 
before  the  session.  It  was  about  this  time,  or  soon  after  he  had  been 
received  as  an  applicant  for  membership,  that  the  writer  visited  his 
lodge,  and  entered  into  a  full  examination  of  his  sentiments  and  opinions, 
contrasting  them  freely  with  what  they  had  formerly  been.  We  requested 
him  to  narrate  to  us  the  facts  of  his  conversion  to  the  principles  of  Chris 
tianity,  indicating  the  progress  of  truth  on  his  mind,  which  he  did  in  sub- 
stance,through  an  interpreter, as  follows: 

"  In  the  early  part  of  my  life  I  lived  very  wickedly,  following  the 
META,  the  JEESUKAN,  and  the  WABENO,  the  three  great  superstitious  ob 
servances  of  my  people.  I  did  not  know  that  these  societies  were  made 
up  of  errors  until  my  wife,  whose  heart  had  been  turned  by  the  mission 
aries,  informed  me  of  it.  I  had  no  pleasure  in  listening  to  her  on  this 
subject,  and  often  turned  away,  declaring  that  I  was  well  satisfied  with 
the  religion  of  my  forefathers.  She  took  every  occasion  of  talking  to 
me  on  the  subject.  She  told  me  that  the  Indian  societies  were  bad,  and 
that  all  who  adhered  to  them  were  no  better  than  open  servants  of  the 
Evil  Spirit.  She  had,  in  particular,  four  long  talks  with  me  on  the  sub 
ject,  and  explained  to  me  who  God  was,  and  what  sin  was,  as  it  is  writ 
ten  in  God's  book.  I  believed  before,  that  there  was  One  Great  Spirit 
who  was  the  Master  of  life,  who  had  made  men  and  beasts.  But  she 
explained  to  me  the  true  character  of  this  Great  Spirit,  the  sinfulness  of 
the  heart,  and  the  necessity  of  having  it  changed  from  evil  to  good  by 
praying  through  Jesus  Christ.  By  degrees  I  came  to  understand  it. 
She  told  me  that  the  Ghost  of  God  or  Holy  Spirit  only  could  make  the 
heart  better,  and  that  the  souls  of  all  who  died,  without  having  felt  this 
power,  would  be  burned  in  the  fires.  The  missionaries  had  directed  her 
to  speak  to  me  and  put  words  in  her  mouth  ;  and  she  said  so  much  that, 


4208  OP    THE    ALGONQUIN8. 

at  length.,  I  did  not  feel  satisfied  with  my  old  way  of  life.     Amongst  other 
things  she  spoke  against  drinking,  which  I  was  very  fond  of. 

"  I  did  not  relish  these  conversations,  but  I  could  not  forget  them 
When  I  reflected  upon  them,  my  heart  was  not  as  fixed  as  it  used  to  be. 
I  began  to  see  that  the  Indian  Societies  were  bad,  for  I  knew  from  my 
own  experience,  that  it  was  not  a  good  Spirit  that  I  had  relied  upon,  j 
determined  that  I  would  not  undertake  iojeesukd,  or  to  look  into  futurity 
any  longer  for  the  Indians,  nor  practice  the  Metals  art.  After  a  while  I 
began  to  see  more  fully  that  the  Indian  ceremonies  were  all  bad,  and  I  de 
termined  to  quit  them  altogether,  and  give  heed  to  what  was  declared  in 
God's  book. 

"  The  first  time  that  I  felt  I  was  to  be  condemned  as  a  sinner,  and  that  I 
was  in  danger  of  being  punished  for  sin  by  God,  is  clearly  in  my  mind. 
I  was  then  on  the  Island  of  Bois  Blanc,  making  sugar  with  my  wife.  I 
was  in  a  conflict  of  mind,  and  hardly  knew  what  I  was  about.  I  walked 
around  the  kettles,  and  did  not  know  what  I  walked  for.  I  felt  some 
times  like  a  person  wishing  to  cry,  but  I  thought  it  would  be  unman 
ly  to  cry.  For  the  space  of  two  weeks,  I  felt  in  this  alarmed  and 
unhappy  mood.  It  seemed  to  me  sometimes  as  if  I  must  die.  My 
heart  and  my  bones  felt  as  if  they  would  burst  and  fall  asunder.  My 
wife  asked  me  if  I  was  e*:ck,  and  said  I  looked  pale.  I  was  in  an  agony 
of  body  and  mind,  especially  during  one  week.  It  seemed,  during  this 
time,  as  if  an  evil  spirit  haunted  me.  When  I  went  out  to  gather  sap, 
I  felt  conscious  that  this  spirit  went  with  me  and  dogged  me.  It  ap 
peared  to  animate  my  own  shadow. 

u  My  strength  was  failing  under  this  conflict.  One  night,  after  I  had 
been  busy  all  day,  my  mind  was  in  great  distress.  This  shadowy  influ 
ence  seemed  to  me  to  persuade  me  to  go  to  sleep.  I  was  tired,  and  I 
wished  rest,  but  I  could  not  sleep.  I  began  to  pray.  I  knelt  down  and 
prayed  to  God.  I  continued  to  pray  at  intervals  through  the  night ;  I 
asked  to  know  the  truth.  I  then  laid  down  and  went  to  sleep.  This 
sleep  brought  me  rest  and  peace.  In  the  morning  my  wife  awoke  me, 
telling  me  it  was  late.  When  I  awoke  I  felt  placid  and  easy  in  mind. 
My  distress  had  left  me.  I  asked  my  wife  what  day  it  was.  She  told 
me  it  was  the  Sabbath  (in  the  Indian,  prayer-day).  I  replied,  '-  how  I 
wish  I  could  go  to  the  church  at  the  mission  !  Formerly  I  used  to  avoid 
it,  and  shunned  those  who  wished  to  speak  to  me  of  praying  to  God,  but 
now  my  heart  longs  to  go  there.'  This  feeling  did  not  leave  me. 

"  After  three  days  I  went  to  the  mission.  The  gladness  of  my  heart 
continued  the  same  as  I  had  felt  it  the  first  morning  at  the  camp.  My 
first  feeling  when  I  landed,  was  pity  for  my  drunken  brethren,  and  I 
prayed  that  they  might  also  be  brought  to  find  the  true  God.  I  spoke 
to  the  missionary,  who  at  subsequent  interviews  explained  to  me  the 
truth,  thn  rite  of  baptism,  and  other  principles.  He  wished,  however,  to 


MYTHOLOGY,    SUPERSTITIONS,    AND    RELIGION  2Q9 

try  me  by  my  life,  and  I  wished  it  also.  It  was  the  following  autumn, 
that  I  was  received  into  the  church." 

We  now  turned  his  mind  to  the  subject  of  intemperance  in  drinking, 
understanding  that  it  had  been  his  former  habit.  He  replied  that  he 
had  been  one  of  the  greatest  drunkards.  He  had  not  been  satisfied  with 
a  ten  days'  drink.  He  would  go  and  drink  as  long  as  he  could  get  it. 
He  said,  that  during  the  night  in  which  he  first  prayed,  it  was  one  of  the 
first  subjects  of  his  prayers,  that  God  would  remove  this  desire  with  his 
other  evil  desires.  He  added,  "  God  did  so."  When  he  arose  that 
morning  the  desire  had  left  him.  The  evil  spirit  then  tempted  him  by 
suggesting  to  his  mind — "  Should  some  one  now  enter  and  offer  you 
liquor,  would  you.  not  taste  it  ?"  He  averred  he  could,  at  that  moment, 
firmly  answer  No  !  It  was  now  seven  years  since  he  had  tasted  a  drop 
of  strong  drink.  He  remarked  that  when  he  used  first  to  visit  the 
houses  of  Christians,  who  gladly  opened  their  doors  to  him,  they  were  in 
the  habit  of  asking  him  to  drink  a  glass  of  cider  or  wine,  which  he  did. 
But  this  practice  had  nearly  ruined  him.  On  one  occasion  he  felt  the 
effects  of  what  he  had  thus  been  prevailed  on  to  drink.  The  danger  he 
felt  himself  to  be  in  was  such,  that  he  was  alarmed  and  gave  up  this  prac 
tice  also. 

He  detailed  some  providential  trials  which  he  had  been  recently  ex 
posed  to.  He  had  observed,  he  said,  that  those  of  his  people  who  had 
professed  piety  and  had  subsequently  fallen  off,  had  nevertheless  pros 
pered  in  worldly  things,  while  he  had  found  it  very  hard  to  live.  He 
was  often  in  a  state  of  want,  and  his  lodge  was  so  poor  and  bad,  that  it 
would  not  keep  out  the  rain.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  feeble,  and 
their  clothes  were  worn  out.  They  had  now  but  a  single  blanket  be 
tween  them.  But  when  these  trials  came  up  in  his  mind,  he  immedi 
ately  resorted  to  God,  who  satisfied  him. 

Another  trait  in  the  character  of  his  piety,  may  here  be  mentioned. 
The  autumn  succeeding  his  conversion,  he  went  over  to  the  spot  on  the 
island  where  he  had  planted  potatoes.  The  Indian  method  is,  not  to 
visit  their  small  plantations  from  the  time  that  their  corn  or  potatoes  are 
hilled.  He  was  pleased  to  find  that  the  crop  in  this  instance  promised 
to  yield  abundantly,  and  his  wife  immediately  commenced  the  process  of 
raising  them.  "  Stop  !"  exclaimed  the  grateful  old  man,  "  dare  you  dig 
these  potatoes  until  we  have  thanked  the  Lord  for  them  ?"  They  then 
both  knelt  in  prayer,  and  afterwards  gathered  the  crop. 

This  individual  appeared  to  form  a  tangible  point  in  the  intellectual 
chain  between  Paganism  and  Christianity,  which  it  is  felt  important  to 
examine.  We  felt  desirous  of  drawing  from  him  such  particulars  respect 
ing  his  former  practice  in  necromancy  and  the  prophetic  art,  as  might  lead 
to  correct  philosophical  conclusions.  He  had  been  the  great  juggler  of 
his  tribe.  He  was  now  accepted  as  a  Christian.  What  were  his  own 

14 


210  OF     THE     ALGONQUIXS. 

conceptions  of  the  power  and  arts  he  had  practised  ?  How  did  these 
things  appear  to  his  mind,  after  a  lapse  of  several  years,  during  which 
his  opinions  and  feelings  had  undergone  changes,  in  many  respects  so 
striking  ?  We  found  not  the  slightest  avoiding  of  this  topic  on  his  part. 
He  attributed  all  his  ability  in  deceptive  arts  to  the  agency  of  the  Evil 
Spirit ;  and  he  spoke  of  it  with  the  same  settled  tone  that  he  had  manifest 
ed  in  reciting  other  points  in  his  personal  experience.  He  believed  that  he 
had  followed  a  spirit  whose  object  it  was  to  deceive  the  Indians  and 
make  them  miserable.  He  believed  that  this  spirit  had  left  him  and 
that  he  was  now  following,  in  the  affections  of  his  heart,  the  spirit  of 
Truth. 

Numerous  symbols  of  the  classes  of  the  animate  creation  are  relied 
on  by  the  Indian  metays  and  wabcnos,  to  exhibit  their  affected  power  of 
working  miracles  and  to  scrutinize  the  scenes  of  futurity.  The  objects 
which  this  man  had  appealed  to  as  personal  spirits  in  the  arcanum  of  his 
lodge,  were  the  tortoise,  the  swan,  the  woodpecker  and  the  crow.  He 
had  dreamed  of  these  at  his  initial  fast  in  his  youth,  during  the  period 
set  apart  for  this  purpose,  and  he  believed  that  a  satanic  influence  was 
exerted,  by  presenting  to  his  mind  one  or  more  of  these  solemnly  appro 
priated  objects  at  the  moment  of 'his  invoking  them.  This  is  the  theory 
drawn  from  his  replies.  We  solicited  him  to  detail  the  modus  opcrandi, 
after  entering  the  juggler's  lodge.  This  lodge  resembles  an  acute  pyra 
mid  with  the  apex  open.  It  is  formed  of  poles,  covered  with  tight- 
drawn  skins.  His  replies  were  perfectly  ingenuous,  evincing  nothing  of 
the  natural  taciturnity  and  shyness  of  the  Indian  mind.  The  great  ob 
ject  with  the  operator  is  to  agitate  this  lodge,  and  cause  it  to  move  and 
shake  without  uprooting  it  from  its  basis,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  induce 
the  spectators  to  believe  that  the  power  of  action  is  superhuman.  Af 
ter  this  manifestation  of  spiritual*  presence,  the  priest  within  is  prepared 
to  give  oracular  responses.  The  only  articles  within  were  a  drum  and 
rattle.  In  reply  to  our  inquiry  as  to  the  mode  of  procedure,  he  stated 
that  his  first  essay,  after  entering  the  lodge,  was  to  strike  the  drum  and 
commence  his  incantations.  At  this  time  his  personal  manitos  assumed 
their  agency,  and  received,  it  is  to  be  inferred,  a  satantc  energy.  Not 
that  he  affects  that  there  was  any  visible  form  assumed.  But  he  felt 
their  spirit-like  presence.  He  represents  the  agitation  of  the  lodge  to 
be  due  to  currents  of  air,  having  the  irregular  and  gyratory  power  of  a 
whirlwind.  He  does  not  pretend  that  his  responses  were  guided  by 
truth,  but  on  the  contrary  affirms  that  they  were  given  under  the  influ 
ence  of  the  evil  spirit. 

We  interrogated  him  as  to  the  use  of  physical  and  mechanical  means 
in  effecting  cures,  in  the  capacity  of  a  meta,  or  a  medicine  man.  He 
referred  to  various  medicines,  some  of  which  he  thinks  were  antibilious 
or  otherwise  sanatory.  He  used  two  bones  in  the  exhibition  of  his 


MYTHOLOGV,    SUPERSTITIONS,    AND    RELIGION  211 

physical  skill,  one  of  which  was  white  and  the  other  green.  His  arca 
num  also  embraced  two  small  stone  images.  He  affected  to  look  into 
and  through  the  flesh,  and  to  draw  from  the  body  fluids,  as  bile  and  blood 
He  applied  his  mouth  in  suction.  He  characterized  both  the  meta  or 
medicine  dances  and  the  wabeno  dances  by  a  term  which  may  be  trans 
lated  deviltry.  Yet  he  discriminated  between  these  two  popular  insti» 
tutions  by  adding  that  the  meta  included  the  use  of  medicines,  good  and 
bad.  The  wabeno,  on  the  contrary,  consisted  wholly  in  a  wild  exhibi 
tion  of  mere  braggadocio  and  trick.  It  is  not,  according  to  him,  an  an 
cient  institution.  It  originated,  he  said,  with  a  Pottawattomie,  who  was 
sick  and  lunatic  a  month  When  this  man  recovered  he  pretended  that 
he  had  ascended  to  heaven,  and  had  brought  thence  divine  arts,  to  aid  his 
countrymen. 

With  respect  to  the  opinion  steadfastly  maintained  by  this  venerable 
subject  of  Indian  reformation,  that  his  deceptive  arts  were  rendered  effec 
tual  in  the  way  he  designed,  by  satanic  agency,  we  leave  the  reader  to 
form  his  own  conclusions.  In  his  mode  of  stating  the  facts,  we  concede 
much  to  him,  on  the  score  of  long  established  mental  habits,  and  the 
peculiarities  arising  from  a  mythology,  exceeding  even  that  of  ancient 
Greece,  for  the  number,  variety  and  ubiquity  of  its  objects.  But  we  per 
ceive  nothing,  on  Christian  theories,  heterodox  in  the  general  position. 
When  the  truth  of  the  gospel  comes  to  be  grafted  into  the  benighted 
heart  of  a  pagan,  such  as  Chusco  was,  it  throws  a  fearful  light  on  the 
objects  which  have  been  cherished  there.  The  whole  system  of  the 
mythological  agency  of  the  gods  and  spirits  of  the  heathen  world  and  its 
clumsy  machinery  is  shown  to  be  a  sheer  system  of  demonology,  refera 
ble,  in  its  operative  effects  on  the  minds  of  individuals,  to  the  "  Prince 
of  the  power  of  the  air."  As  such  the  Bible  depicts  it.  We  have  not 
been  in  the  habit  of  conceding  the  existence  of  demoniacal  possessions, 
in  the  present  era  of  Christianity,  and  have  turned  over  some  scores  of 
chapters  and  verses  to  satisfy  our  minds  of  the  abrogation  of  these  things. 
But  we  have  found  no  proofs  of  such  a  withdrawal  of  evil  agency  short 
of  the  very  point  where  our  subject  places  it — that  is,  the  dawning  of 
the  light  of  Christianity  in  the  heart.  We  have,  on  the  contrary,  found  in 
the  passages  referred  to,  the  declaration  of  the  full  and  free  existence  of 
such  an  agency  in  the  general  import,  and  apprehend  that  it  cannot  be 
plucked  out  of  the  sacred  writings. 

The  language  of  such  an  agency  appears  to  be  fully  developed  among 
the  northern  tribes.  Spirit-ridden  they  certainly  are  ;  and  the  mental 
slavery  in  which  they  live,  under  the  fear  of  an  invisible  agency  of  evil 
spirits,  is,  we  apprehend,  greater  even  than  the  bondage  of  the  body. 
The  whole  mind  is  bowed  down  under  these  intellectual  fetters  which 
circumscribe  its  volitions,  and  bind  it  as  effectually  as  with  the  hooks  of 
steel  which  pierce  a  whirling  Hindoo's  flesh.  Whatever  is  wonderful, 


212  OF    THE     ALGONQUINS. 

or  past  comprehension  to  their  minds,  is  referred  to  the  agency  of  a  spirit 
This  is  the  ready  solution  of  every  mystery  in  nature,  and  of  every  re 
finement  of  mechanical  power  in  art.     A  watch  is,  in  the  intricacy  of  its 
machinery,  a  spirit.     A  piece  of  blue  cloth — cast  and  blistered  steel — a 
compass,  a  jewel,  an  insect,  &c.,  are,  respectively,  a  spirit.      Thunder 
consists,  in  their  transcendental  astronomy,  of  so  many  distinct  spirits. 
The  aurora  borealis  is  a  body  of  dancing  spirits,  or  rather  ghosts  of  the 
departed. 

Such  were  the  ideas  and  experiences  of  Chusco,  after  his  union  with 
the  church ;  and  with  these  views  he  lived  and  died,  having  given 
evidence,  as  was  thought,  of  the  reception  of  the  Saviour,  through 
faith.  . 

To  give  some  idea  of  the  Indian  mythology  as  above  denoted,  it  is 
necessary  to  conceive  every  department  of  the  universe  to  be  filled  with 
invisible  spirits.  These  spirits  hold  in  their  belief  nearly  the  same  rela 
tion  to  matter  that  the  soul  does  to  the  body  :  they  pervade  it.  They 
believe  not  only  that  every  man,  but  also  that  every  animal,  has  a  soul; 
and  as  might  be  expected  under  this  belief,  they  make  no  distinction 
between  instinct  and  reason.  Every  animal  is  supposed  to  be  endowed 
with  a  reasoning  faculty.  The  movements  of  birds  and  other  animals 
are  deemed  to  be  the  result,  not  of  mere  instinctive  animal  powers  im 
planted  and  limited  by  the  creation,  without  inherent  power  to  exceed  or 
enlarge  them,  but  of  a  process  of  ratiocination.  They  go  a  step  farther, 
and  believe  that  animals,  particularly  birds,  can  look  into,  and  are  fami 
liar  with  the  vast  operations  of  the  world  above.  Hence  the  great  re 
spect  they  pay  to  birds  as  agents  of  omen,  and  also  to  some  animals, 
whose  souls  they  expect  to  encounter  in  another  life.  Nay,  it  is  the 
settled  belief  among  the  northern  Algonquins,  that  animals  will  fare  bet 
ter  in  another  world,  in  the  precise  ratio  that  their  lives  and  enjoyments 
have  been  curtailed  in  this  life. 

Dreams  are  considered  by  them  as  a  means  of  direct  communication 
with  the  spiritual  world  ;  and  hence  the  great  influence  which  dreams 
exert  over  the  Indian  mind  and  conduct.  They  are  generally  regarded 
as  friendly  warnings  of  their  personal  manitos.  No  labor  or  enterprise 
is  undertaken  against  their  indications.  A  whole  army  is  turned  back 
if  the  dreams  of  the  officiating  priest  are  unfavorable.  A  family  lodge 
has  been  known  to  be  deserted  by  all  its  inmates  at  midnight,  leaving  the 
fixtures  behind,  because  one  of  the  family  had  dreamt  of  an  attack,  and 
been  frightened  with  the  impression  of  blood  and  tomahawks.  To  give 
more  solemnity  to  his  office  the  priest  or  leading  meta  exhibits  a  sack 
containing  the  carved  or  stuffed  images  of  animals,  with  medicines  and 
bones  constituting  the  sacred  charms.  These  are  never  exhibited  to  the 
common  gaze,  but,  on  a  march,  the  sack  is  hung  up  in  plain  view.  To 
profane  the  medicine  sack  would  be  equivalent  to  violating  the  atlar. 


MYTHOLOGY,    SUPERSTITIONS,    AND    RELIGION  213 

Dreams  are  carefully  sought  by  every  Indian,  whatever  be  their  rank, 
at  certain  periods  of  youth,  with  fasting.  These  fasts  are  sometimes 
continued  a  great  number  of  days,  until  the  devotee  becomes  pale  and 
emaciated.  The  animals  that  appear  propitiously  to  the  mind  during 
these  dreams,  are  fixed  on  and  selected  as  personal  manitos,  and  are 
ever  after  viewed  as  guardians.  This  period  of  fasting  and  dream 
ing  is  deemed  as  essential  by  them  as  any  religious  rite  whatever  em 
ployed  by  Christians.  The  initial  fast  of  a  young  man  or  girl  holds  the 
relative  importance  of  baptism,  with  this  peculiarity,  that  it  is  a  free 
will,  or  self-dedicatory  rite. 

The  naming  of  children  has  an  intimate  connection  with  the  system  of 
mythological  agency.  Names  are  usually  bestowed  by  some  aged  per 
son,  most  commonly  under  the  supposed  guidance  of  a  particular  spirit. 
They  are  often  derived  from  the  mystic  scenes  presented  in  a  dream,  and 
refer  to  aerial  phenomena.  Yellow  Thunder,  Bright  Sky ,  Big  Cloud,  Spirit 
Sky,  Spot  in  the  Sky,  are  common  names  for  males.  Females  are  more 
commonly  named  from  the  vernal  or  autumnal  landscape,  as  Woman  of 
the  Valley,  Woman  of  the  Rock,  &c.  Females  are  not  excluded  from  par 
ticipation  in  the  prophetical  office  or  jugglership.  Instances  of  their  hav 
ing  assumed  this  function  are  known  to  have  occurred,  although  it  is 
commonly  confined  to  males.  In  every  other  department  of  life  they 
are  apparently  regarded  as  inferior  oj:  inclusive  beings.  Names  bestowed 
with  ceremony  in  childhood  are  deemed  sacred,  and  are  seldom  pro 
nounced,  out  of  respect,  it  would  seem,  to  the  spirit  under  whose  favor 
they  are  supposed  to  have  been  selected.  Children  are  usually  called 
in  the  family  by  some  name  which  can  be  familiarly  used.  A  male  child 
is  frequently  called  by  the  mother,  a  bird,  or  young  one,  or  old  man,  as 
terms  of  endearment,  or  bad  boy,  evil-doer,  &c.,  in  the  way  of  light  re 
proach  ;  and  these  names  often  adhere  to  the  individual  through  life. 
Parents  avoid  the  true  name  often  by  saying  my  son,  my  younger,  or 
my  elder  son,  or  my  younger  or  my  elder  daughter,  for  which  the  language 
has  separate  words.  This  subject  of  a  reluctance  to  tell  their  names  is 
very  curious  and  deserving  of  investigation. 

The  Indian  "  art  and  mystery"  of  hunting  is  a  tissue  of  necromantic 
or  mythological  reliances.  The  personal  spirits  of  the  hunter  are  invok 
ed  to  give  success  in  the  chace.  Images  of  the  animals  sought  for  are 
sometimes  carved  in  wood,  or  drawn  by  the  metas  on  tabular  pieces  of 
wood  By  applying  their  mystic  medicines  to  these,  the  animals  are 
supposed  to  be  drawn  into  the  hunter's  path  ;  and  when  animals  have 
been  killed,  the  Indian  feels,  that  although  they  are  an  authorized  and 
lawful  prey,  yet  there  is  something  like  accountability  to  the  animal's 
suppositional  soul.  An  Indian  has  been  known  to  ask  the  pardon  of  an 
animal,  which  he  had  just  killed.  Drumming,  shaking  the  rattle,  and 
dancing  and  singing,  are  the  common  accompaniments  of  all  these  super- 


214  OF    THE    ALGONQUINS. 

stitious  observances,  and  are  not  peculiar  to  one  class  alone.  In  the 
wabeno  dance,  which  is  esteemed  by  the  Indians  as  the  most  latitudina- 
rian  co-fraternity,  love  songs  are  introduced.  They  are  never  heard  in 
the  medicine  dances.  They  would  subject  one  to  utter  contempt  in  the 
war  dance.  w 

The  system  of  manito  worship  has  another  peculiarity,  which  is  illus 
trative  of  Indian  character.  During  the  fasts  and  ceremonial  dances  by 
which  a  warrior  prepares  himself  to  come  up  to  the  duties  of  war,  every 
thing  that  savors  of  effeminacy  is  put  aside.  The  spirits  wrhich  preside 
over  bravery  and  war  are  alone  relied  on,  and  these  are  supposed  to  be 
offended  by  the  votary's  paying  attention  to  objects  less  stern  and  manly 
than  themselves.  Venus  and  Mars  cannot  be  worshipped  at  the  same 
time.  It  would  be  considered  a  complete  desecration  for  a  warrior, 
while  engaged  in  war,  to  entangle  himself  by  another,  or  more  tender 
sentiment.  We  think  this  opinion  should  be  duly  estimated  in  the  gen 
eral  award  which  history  gives  to  the  chastity  of  warriors.  We  would 
record  the  fact  to  their  praise,  as  fully  as  it  has  been  done  ;  but  we  would 
subtract  something  from  the  motive,  in  view  of  his  paramount  obligations 
of  a  sacred  character,  and  also  the  fear  of  the  ridicule  of  his  co-warriors. 

In  these  leading  doctrines  of  an  oral  and  mystic  school  of  wild  philo 
sophy  may  be  perceived  the  ground-work  of  their  mythology,  and  the 
general  motive  for  selecting  familiar  spirits.  Manito,  or  as  the  Chippe- 
was  pronounce  it,  mone'do,  signifies  simply  a  spirit,  and  there  is  neither 
a  good  nor  bad  meaning  attached  to  it,  when  not  under  the  government 
of  some  adjective  or  qualifying  particle.  We  think,  however,  that  so  far 
as  there  is  a  meaning  distinct  from  an  invisible  existence,  the  tendency 
is  to  a  bad  meaning.  A  bad  meaning  is,  however,  distinctly  conveyed 
by  the  inflection,  osh  or  ish.  The  particle  wee,  added  in  the  same  rela 
tion,  indicates  a  witch.  Like  numerous  other  nouns,  it  has  its  diminu 
tive  in  os,  its  plural  in  wug,  and  its  local  form  in  ing.  To  add  "  great," 
as  the  Jesuit  writers  did,  is  far  from  deciding  the  moral  character  of  the 
spirit,  and  hence  modern  translators  prefix  gezha,  signifying  merciful. 
Yet  we  doubt  whether  the  word  God  should  not  be  carried  boldly  into 
translations  of  the  scriptures.  In  the  conference  and  prayer-room,  the 
native  teachers  use  the  inclusive  pronominal  form  of  Father,  altogether. 
Truth  breaks  slowly  on  the  mind,  sunk  in  so  profound  a  darkness  as  the 
Indians  are,  and  there  is  danger  in  retaining  the  use  of  words  like  those 
which  they  have  so  long  employed  in  a  problematical,  if  not  a  deroga 
tive  sense. 

The  love  for  mystery  and  magic  which  pervades  the  native  ceremo 
nies,  has  affected  the  forms  of  their  language.  They  have  given  it  a 
power  to  impart  life  to  dead  masses.  Vitality  in  their  forms  of  utter 
ance  is  deeply  implanted  in  all  these  dialects,  which  have  been  examin 
ed  ;  they  provide,  by  the  process  of  inflection,  for  keeping  a  perpetual 


MYTHOLOGY,   SUPERSTITIONS,    AND    RELIGION  215 

distinction  between  the  animate  and  inanimate  kingdoms.  But  where 
vitality  and  spirituality  are  so  blended  as  we  see  them  in  their  doctrine 
of  animal  souls,  the  inevitable  result  must  be,  either  to  exalt  the  princi 
ple  of  life,  in  all  the  classes  of  nature,  into  immortality,  or  to  sink  the  lat 
ter  to  the  level  of  mere  organic  life.  Indian  word-makers  have  taken 
the  former  dilemma,  and  peopled  their  paradise  not  only  with  the  souls 
of  men.  but  with  the  souls  of  every  imaginable  kind  of  beasts.  Spir- 
Huality  is  thus  clogged  with  sensual  accidents.  The  human  soul 
hungers,  and  it  must  have  food  deposited  upon  the  grave.  It  suffers 
from  cold,  and  the  body  must  be  wrapped  about  with  cloths.  It  is  in 
darkness,  and  a  light  must  be  kindled  at  the  head  of  the  grave.  It  wan 
ders  through  plains  and  across  streams,  subject  to  the  providences  of 
this  life,  in  quest  of  its  place  of  enjoyment,  and  when  it  reaches  it,  it 
finds  every  species  of  sensual  trial,  which  renders  the  place  not  indeed 
a  heaven  of  rest,  but  another  experimental  world — very  much  like  this. 
Of  punishments,  we  hear  nothing ;  rewards  are  looked  for  abundantly, 
and  the  idea  that  the  Master  of  life,  or  the  merciful  Spirit,  will  be  alike 
merciful  to  all,  irrespective  of  the  acts  of  this  life,  or  the  degree  of  moral 
turpitude,  appears  to  leave  for  their  theology  a  belief  in  restorations  or 
universalism.  There  is  nothing  to  refer  them  to  a  Saviour  ;  that  IDEA 
was  beyond  their  conception,  and  of  course  there  was  no  occasion  for  the 
offices  of  the.  Holy  Ghost.  Darker  and  more  chilling  views  to  a  theolo 
gian,  it  would  be  impossible  to  present.  Yet  it  may  be  asked,  what 
more  benign  result  could  have  been,  or  can  now  be,  anticipated  in  the 
hearts  of  an  ignorant,  uninstructed  and  wandering  people,  exposed  to 
sore  vicissitudes  in  their  lives  and  fortunes,  and  without  the  guidance  ot 
the  light  of  Revelation  ? 

Of  their  mythology  proper,  we  have  space  only  to  make  a  few  re 
marks.  Some  of  the  mythologic  existences  of  the  Indians  admit  of 
poetic  uses.  Manabozho  may  be  considered  as  a  sort  of  terrene  Jove, 
who  could  perform  all  things  whatever,  but  lived  some  time  on  earth, 
and  excelled  particularly  in  feats  of  strength  and  manual  dexterity.  All 
the  animals  were  subject  to  him.  He  also  survived  a  deluge,  which  the 
traditions  mention,  havin,.,  climbed  a  tree  on  an  extreme  elevation  during 
the  prevalence  of  the  waters,  and  sent  down  various  animals  for  some 
earth,  out  of  which  he  re-created  the  globe.  The  four  cardinal  points 
are  so  many  demi-gods,  of  whom  the  West,  called  KABEUN,  has  priority 
of  age.  The  East,  North  and  South  are  deemed  to  be  his  sons,  by  a 
maid  who  incautiously  exposed  herself  to  the  west  wind.  IAGOO 
(lagoo)  is  the  god  of  the  marvellous,  and  many  most  extravagant  tales 
of  forest  and  domestic  adventure  are  heaped  upon  him.  KWASIND  is 
a  sort  of  Samson,  who  threw  a  huge  mass  of  rock  such  as  the  Cy 
clops  cast  at  Mentor.  WEENG  is  the  god  of  sleep,  who  is  represented  to 
have  numerous  small  emissaries  at  his  service,  reminding  us  ot  Pope's 


216  OF    THE    ALGONQUINS. 

creation  of  gnomes.  These  minute  emissaries  climb  up  the  forehead, 
and  wielding  a  tiny  club,  knock  individuals  to  sleep.  PAUGUK  is  death, 
in  his  symbolic  attitude.  He  is  armed  with  a  bow  and  arrows.  It  would 
be  easy  to  extend  this  enumeration. 

The  mental  powers  of  the  Indian  constitutes  a  topic  which  we  do  not 
design  to  discuss.  But  it  must  be  manifest  that  some  of  their  peculiari 
ties  are  brought  out  by  their  system  of  mythology  and  spirit-craft.  War, 
public  policy,  hunting,  abstinence,  endurance  and  courageous  adventure, 
form  the  leading  topics  of  their  mental  efforts.  These  are  deemed  the 
appropriate  themes  of  men,  sages  and  warriors.  But  their  intellectual 
essays  have  also  a  domestic  theatre  of  exhibition.  It  is  here  that  the 
Indian  mind  unbends  itself  and  reveals  some  of  its  less  obvious  traits. 
Their  public  speakers  cultivate  a  particular  branch  of  oratory.  They 
are  careful  in  the  use  of  words,  and  are  regarded  as  standards  of  purity 
in  the  language.  They  appear  to  have  an  accurate  ear  for  sounds,  and 
delight  in  rounding  off  a  period,  for  which  the  languages  afford  great  fa 
cilities,  by  their  long  and  stately  words,  and  multiform  inflexions.  A 
drift  of  thought — an  elevation  of  style,  is  observable  in  their  public  speak 
ing  which  is  dropt  in  private  conversation.  Voice,  attitude  and  motion, 
are  deemed  of  the  highest  consequence.  Much  of  the  meaning  of  their 
expressions  is  varied  by  the  vehement,  subdued,  or  prolonged  tone  in 
which  they  are  uttered.  In  private  conversation,  on  the  contrary,  all  is 
altered.  There  is  an  equanimity  of  tone,  and  easy  vein  of  narration 
or  dialogue,  in  which  the  power  of  mimicry  is  most  strikingly  brought 
out.  The  very  voice  and  words  of  the  supposed  speakers,  in  their  ficti 
tious  legends,  are  assumed.  Fear,  supplication,  timidity  or  boasting, 
are  exactly  depicted,  and  the  deepest  interest  excited.  All  is  ease  and 
freedom  from  restraint.  There  is  nothing  of  the  coldness  or  severe  for 
mality  of  the  council.  The  pipe  is  put  to  its  ordinary  use,  and  all  its 
symbolic  sanctity  is  laid  aside  with  the  wampum  belt  and  the  often  reiter 
ated  state  epithets,  "  Nosa"  and  "  Kosinan,"  i.  e.  my  father  and  our/cither. 

Another  striking  trait  of  the  race  is  found  in  their  legends  and  tales. 
Those  of  the  aboriginal  race  who  excel  in  private  conversation,  become  to 
their  tribes  oral  chroniclers,  and  are  relied  on  for  historical  traditions 
as  well  as  tales.  It  is  necessary,  in  listening  to  them,  to  distinguish 
between  the  gossip  and  the  historian,  the  narrator  of  real  events,  and 
of  nursery  tales.  For  they  gather  together  everything  from  the  fabu 
lous  feats  of  Manebozho  and  Misshozha,  to  the  hair-breadth  escapes 
of  a  Pontiac,  or  a  Black  Hawk.  These  narrators  are  generally  men  of 
a  good  memory  and  a  certain  degree  of  humor,  who  have  experienced 
vicissitudes,  and  are  cast  into  the  vale  of  years.  In  the  rehearsal  of  their 
tales,  transformations  and  transmigrations  are  a  part  of  the  machinery 
relied  on ;  and  some  of  them  are  as  accurately  adapted  to  the  purposes 
of  amusement  or  instruction,  as  if  Zoroaster  or  Orid  himself  had  been 


MYTHOLOGY,    SUPERSTITIONS,    AND     RELIGION  217 

consulted  in^heir  production.  Many  objects  in  the  inanimate  creation, 
according  to  these  tales,  were  originally  men  and  women.  And  nume 
rous  animals  had  other  forms  in  their  first  stages  of  existence,  which 
they,  as  well  as  human  beings,  forfeited,  by  the  power  of  necromancy  and 
transmigration.  The  evening  star,  it  is  fabled,  was  formerly  a  woman. 
An  ambitious  boy  became  one  of  the  planets.  Three  brothers,  travel 
ling  in  a  canoe,  were  translated  into  a  group  of  stars.  The  fox,  lynx, 
hare,  robin,  eagle  and  numerous  other  species,  retain  places  in  the  In 
dian  system  of  astronomy.  The  mouse  obtained  celestial  elevation  by 
creeping  up  the  rainbow,  which  Indian  story  makes  a  flossy  mass  of 
bright  threads,  and  by  the  powTer  of  gnawing  them,  he  relieved  a  captive 
in  the  sky.  It  is  a  coincidence,  which  we  note,  that  ursa  major  is  called 
by  them  the  bear. 

These  legends  are  not  confined  to  the  sky  alone.  The  earth  also  is  a 
fruitful  theatre  of  transformations.  The  wolf  wras  formerly  a  boy,  who, 
being  neglected  by  his  parents,  was  transformed  into  this  animal.  A 
shell,  lying  on  the  shore,  was  transformed  to  the  raccoon.  The  brains 
of  an  adulteress  were  converted  into  the  addikumaig,  or  white  fish. 

The  power  of  transformation  was  variously  exercised.  It  most  com 
monly  existed  in  magicians,  of  whom  Abo,  Manabosh  or  Manabozha,  and 
Mishosha,  retain  much  celebrity.  The  latter  possessed  a  magic  canoe 
which  would  rush  forward  through  the  water  on  the  utterance  of  a  charm, 
with  a  speed  that  would  outstrip  the  wind.  Hundreds  of  miles  were 
performed  in  as  many  minutes.  The  charm  which  he  uttered,  consisted 
of  a  monosyllable,  containing  one  consonant,  which  does  not  belong  to 
the  language  ;  and  this  word  has  no  definable  meaning.  So  that  the 
language  of  magic  and  demonology  has  one  feature  in  common  in  all 
ages  and  with  every  nation. 

Man,  in  his  common  shape,  is  not  alone  the  subject  of  their  legends. 
The  intellectual  creations  of  the  Indians  admit  of  the  agency  of  giants 
and  fairies.  Anak  and  his  progeny  could  not  have  created  more  alarm 
in  the  minds  of  the  ten  faithless  spies,  than  do  the  race  of  fabulous 
Weendigos  to  the  Indian  tribes.  These  giants  are  represented  as  canni 
bals,  who  ate  up  men,  women  and  children.  Indian  fairies  are  of  two 
classes,  distinguished  as  the  place  of  their  revels  is  either  the  land  or 
water.  Land-fairies  are  imagined  to  choose  their  residences  about  pro 
montories,  water-falls  and  solemn  groves.  The  water,  besides  its  appro 
priate  class  of  aquatic  fairies,  is  supposed  to  be  the  residence  of  a  race  of 
beings  called  Nibanaba  which  have  their  analogy,  except  as  to  sex,  in 
the  mermaid.  The  Indian  word  indicates  a  male.  Ghosts  are  the  ordi 
nary  machinery  in  their  tales  of  terror  and  mystery.  There  is,  perhaps, 
a  glimmering  of  the  idea  of  retributive  justice  in  the  belief  that  ghosts 
and  spirits  are  capable  of  existing  in  fire. 


INDIAN  ARROW  HEADS,  &c. 

BY  far  the  most  numerous  relics  of  the  Red  Race,  now  found  in  those 
parts  of  our  country  from  which  it  has  disappeared,  are  the  small  stonef 
with  which  they  headed  their  arrows.  Being  made  of  the  most  durable 
substances,  they  have  generally  remained  in  the  soil,  unaffected  by  time 
and  the  changes  of  season.  They  most  abound  in  those  rich  meadows 
which  border  some  of  our  rivers,  and  in  other  spots  of  peculiar  fertility, 
though  of  less  extent,  where  the  pasture,  or  other  attractions,  collected 
game  for  the  Red  men.  The  stones  most  commonly  used  were  quartz 
and  flint,  which  were  preferred  on  account  of  the  facility  of  shaping 
them,  the  keenness  of  the  points  and  edges,  which  they  readily  present 
under  the  blows  of  a  skilful  manufacturer,  as  well  as  their  superior  hard 
ness  and  imperishable  nature.  Multitudes  of  specimens  still  exist,  which 
show  the  various  forms  and  sizes  to  which  the  Red  men  reduced  stones  of 
these  kinds :  and  they  excite  our  admiration,  by  their  perfect  state  of  pre 
servation,  as  well  by  the  skilfulness  of  their  manufacture. 

Other  stones,  however,  were  not  unfrequently  used :  and  a  collection 
which  we  have  been  making  for  many  years,  presents  a  considerable 
variety  of  materials,  as  well  as  of  sizes,  shapes  and  colors.  Hard  sand 
stone,  trap  or  graacke,  jasper  and  chalcedony,  appear  occasionally; 
some  almost  transparent.  One  of  the  larger  size  is  made  of  steatite,  and 
smooth,  as  if  cut  or  scraped  with  a  knife,  contrary  to  the  common  method, 
of  gradually  chipping  off  small  fragments  of  more  brittle  stone,  by  light 
blows  often  repeated.  These  arrow  heads  were  fastened  to  the  shaft,  by 
inserting  the  butt  into  the  split  end,  and  tying  round  it  a  string  of  deer's 
sinews.  A  groove  or  depression  is  commonly  observable  in  the  stone, 
designed  to  receive  the  string.  But  it  is  sometimes  difficult  to  imagine 
how  the  fastening  was  effected,  as  some  perfect  arrow-heads  show  no  such 
depressions,  and  their  forms  are  not  well  adapted  to  such  a  purpose.  This 
peculiarity,  however,  is  most  frequently  to  be  observed  in  specimens  of 
small  size,  the  larger,  and  especially  such  as  are  commonly  supposed  to 
have  been  the  heads  of  spears,  being  usually  well  shaped  for  tying. 

It  is  remarkable  that  some  spots  have  been  found,  where  such  relics 
were  surprizingly  numerous.  In  Hartford,  Connecticut,  about  thirty 
years  ago,  many  were  picked  up  in  a  garden,  at  the  corner  of  Front  and 
Mill  streets.  The  spot  was  indeed  on  the  bank  of  the  Little  River,  pro 
bably  at  the  head  of  Indian  Canoe  navigation :  but  yet  no  rational  con 
jecture  could  be  formed,  to  account  for  the  discovery,  except  one.  It  was  con 
cluded  that  the  place  was  an  ancient  burying  ground.  Many  bits  of  coarse 
earthen-ware  were  found,  such  as  are  common  in  many  parts  of  the  coun 
try.  About  two  miles  below  Middletown,  Connecticut,  on  the  slope  of  a 

218 


INDIAN    ARROW    HEADS,    ETC.  219 

hill  on  the  southern  side  of  the  Narrows,  we  discovered,  some  years  since, 
a  great  number  of  small  fragments  of  white  quartz,  scattered  thickly  over 
the  surface  of  the  ground,  perhaps  for  half  an  acre.  Among  them  were 
several  arrow  heads  of  various  forms,  most  of  them  imperfect,  and  many 
pieces  of  stone,  which  at  first  sight  resembled  them,  but,  on  closer  inspec 
tion,  seemed  to  have  been  designed  for  arrow  heads,  but  spoiled  in  the 
making.  Some  had  one  good  edge,  or  a  point  or  barb,  while  the  other  parts 
of  the  same  stones  showed  only  the  natural  form  and  fracture.  In  many  in 
stances,  it  was  easy  to  see  that  the  workman  might. well  have  been  discour 
aged  from  proceeding  any  farther,  by  a  flaw,  a  break  or  the  nature  of  the 
stone.  Our  conclusion  was,  that  the  spot  had  long  been  a  place  where 
Indian  arrow  heads  were  made,  and  that  we  saw  around  us  the  refuse 
fragments  rejected  by  the  workmen.  Other  spots  have  been  heard  of 
resembling  this. 

If  such  relics  were  found  nowhere  else  but  in  our  own  country,  they 
would  be  curious,  and  worthy  of  preservation  and  attention :  but  it  is  an 
interesting  fact,  not  however  generally  known,  that  they  exist  in  many 
other  parts  of  the  world.  Stone  arrow  and  spear  heads  have  been  found 
in  England  for  hundreds  of  years,  and  are  believed  to  have  been  made 
and  used  by  the  Britons,  who,  in  respect  to  civilization,  were  nearly  on  a 
level  with  our  Indians.  These  relics  are  called  by  the  common  people 
Celts,  from  the  race  whose  memory  they  recal ;  and  particular  accounts 
of  them  are  given,  with  drawings,  in  several  antiquarian  works.  They 
bear  a  striking  resemblance  to  our  Indian  arrow  heads ;  and  many  of 
them  could  be  hardly,  if  at  all,  distinguished  from  those  of  America. 

African  arrows  have  been  brought  to  this  country,  in  which  the  points 
were  of  the  same  forms  and  materials,  and  fastened  in  the  same  manner. 
About  twelve  years  ago  a  vessel  from  Stonington  was  attacked  by  a  party 
of  Patagonians,  who  threw  arrows  on  board.  One  of  these  which  we 
procured,  was  pointed  with  a  head  of  milky  quartz,  exactly  corresponding 
with  specimens  picked  up  in  New  England. 

Among  the  relics  found  in  excavating  the  low  mounds  on  the  plain  of 
Marathon,  as  we  were  informed  by  one  of  our  countrymen,  who  was  at 
Athens  some  years  ago,  there  were  spear  heads  made  of  flint,  which,  he 
declared,  were  like  those  he  had  often  seen  ploughed  up  in  his  native 
fields.  These,  it  was  conjectured,  might  have  been  among  the  weapons 
of  some  of  the  rude  Scythians  in  the  Persian  army,  which  met  its  defeat 
on  that  celebrated  battle  ground. 

A  negro,  from  an  obscure  group  of  islands,  just  north  of  New  Guinea, 
in  describing  the  weapons  in  use  among  his  countrymen,  drew  the  forms 
of  spear  heads,  which  he  said  were  often  made  of  stones ;  and,  when 
shown  specimens  from  our  collection,  declared  that  they  were  very  much 
like  them. 

It  has  been  thought,  that  certain  instruments  would  naturally  be  inven 


220  INDIAN    ARROW    HEADS,    ETC. 

ted  by  men  in  particular  states  of  society  and  under  certain  circumstances, 
as  the  result  of  their  wants  and  the  means  at  hand  to  supply  them.  It  is 
not,  however,  always  easy  to  reconcile  this  doctrine  with  farrts.  For  ex 
ample,  the  black  race  of  the  islands  north  of  New  Holland,  (of  which  so 
little  is  yet  known,)  appear  to  require  the  use  of  the  bow  as  much  as  any 
other  savage  people,  yet  they  are  entirely  ignorant  of  it,  though  it  has 
been  thought  one  of  the  simple,  most  natural  and  most  indispensable 
instruments  in  such  a  condition  of  society. 

We  are  therefore  left  in  doubt,  in  the  present  state  of  our  knowledge, 
whether  the  manufacture  and  use  of  stone  arrow  heads  have  been  so  ex 
tensively  diffused  over  the  globe  by  repeated  inventions,  or  by  an  inter 
course  between  portions  of  the  human  race  long  since  ceased,  or  by  both 
causes.  To  whichever  of  these  opinions  we  may  incline,  the  subject 
must  still  appear  to  us  worthy  of  investigation,  as  the  history  of  these 
relics  must  necessarily  be  closely  connected  with  that  of  different  families 
and  races  of  men  in  every  continent  and  in  every  zone. 

We  would  invite  particular  attention  to  the  position  and  circumstances 
of  Indian  remains  which  may  hereafter  be  found ;  and  would  express  a 
wish  that  they  might  be  recorded  and  made  known.  Our  newspapers 
offer  a  most  favorable  vehicle  for  the  communication  of  such  discoveries 
and  observations,  and  our  editors  generally  must  have  taste  and  judgment 
enough  to  give  room  for  them. 

It  was  remarked  in  some  of  our  publications  a  few  years  ago,  that  no 
unequivocal  remains  of  the  Red  men  had  yet  been  discovered  in  the  earth, 
below  the  most  recent  strata  of  soil,  excepting  cases  in  which  they  had 
been  buried  in  graves,  &c.  Perhaps  later  observations  may  furnish  evi 
dence  of  the  longer  presence  of  that  race  on'  our  continent  than  such  a 
statement  countenances. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  objects  of  enquiry,  with  some  antiquaries, 
is  whether  there  are  any  ancient  indications  of  Alphabetical  writing  in 
our  continent.  A  small  stone  found  in  the  Grave-Creek  Mound,  and 
others  of  a  more  doubtful  character,  are  quite  sufficient  to  awaken  interest 
and  stimulate  enquiry. 

A  few  specimens  of  rude  sculpture  and  drawing  have  been  found  in 
different  parts  of  the  U.  States ;  and  shells,  ornaments,  &c.,  evidently 
brought  from  great  distances.  There  may  be  others,  known  to  individu 
als,  of  which  antiquaries  are  not  aware.  After  perusing  the  foregoing" 
pages,  it  will  be  easy  to  realize  that  all  such  remains  may  be  worthy  of 
attention.  Not  only  copies  should  be  made  and  dimensions  taken,  but 
descriptions  should  be  written,  local  information  and  traditions  collected, 
measures  taken  to  preserve  the  originals,  and  some  notice  given  which 
may  reach  persons  interested  in  such  subjects. —  E. 


INDIAN  MUSIC,  SONGS,  AND  POETRY. 

No.  I. 

THE  North  American  tribes  have  the  elements  of  music  and  poetry. 
Their  war  songs  frequently  contain  flights  of  the  finest  heroic  sentiment, 
clothed  in  poetic  imagery.  And  numbers  of  the  addresses  of  the  speak 
ers,  both  occasional  and  public,  abound  in  eloquent  and  poetic  thought 
"  We  would  anticipate  eloquence,"  observes  a  modern  American  writer, 
"  from  an  Indian.  He  has  animating  remembrances — a  poetry  of  lan 
guage,  which  exacts  rich  and  apposite  metaphorical  allusions,  even  for 
ordinary  conversation — a  mind  which,  like  his  body,  has  never  been 
trammelled  and  mechanized  by  the  formalities  of  society,  and  passions 
which,  from  the  very  outward  restraint  imposed  upon  them,  burn  more 
fiercely  within."  Yet,  it  will  be  found  that  the  records  of  our  litera 
ture,  scattered  as  they  are,  in  periodicals  and  ephemeral  publications, 
rather  than  in  works  of  professed  research,  are  meagre  and  barren,  on 
these  topics.  One  of  the  first  things  we  hear  of  the  Indians,  after  their 
discovery,  is  their  proneness  to  singing  and  dancing.  But  however  char 
acteristic  these  traits  may  be,  and  we  think  they  are  eminently  so,  it  has 
fallen  to  the  lot  of  but  few  to  put  on  record  specimens,  which  may  be  ap~ 
pealed  to,  as  evidences  of  the  current  opinion,  on  these  heads.  With  fa 
vourable  opportunities  of  observation  among  the  tribes,  we  have  but  to 
add  our  testimony  to  tne  difficulties  of  making  collections  in  these  depart 
ments,  which  shall  not  compromit  the  intellectual  character  of  the  tribes, 
whose  efforts  are  always  oral,  and  very  commonly  extemporaneous. 
These  difficulties  arise  from  the  want  of  suitable  interpreters,  the  remote 
ness  of  the  points  at  which  observations  must  be  made,  the  heavy  demands 
made  upon  hours  of  leisure  or  business  by  such  inquiries,  and  the  incon 
venience  of  making  notes  and  detailed  memoranda  on  the  spot.  The 
little  that  it  is  in  our  power  to  offer,  will  therefore  be  submitted  as  contri 
butions  to  an  inquiry  which  is  quite  in  its  infancy,  and  rather  with  the 
hope  of  exciting  others  to  future  labours,  than  of  gratifying,  to  any  extent, 
an  enlightened  curiosity  on  the  subject. 

Dancing  is  both  an  amusement  and  a  religious  observance,  among  the 
American  Indians,  and  is  known  to  constitute  one  of  the  most  wide  spread 
traits  in  their  manners  and  customs.  It  is  accompanied,  in  all  cases,  with 
singing,  and,  omitting  a  few  cases,  with  the  beating  of  time  on  instru 
ments.  Tribes  the  most  diverse  in  language,  and  situated  at  the  greatest 
distances  apart,  concur  in  this.  It  is  believed  to  be  the  ordinary  mode  ot 
expressing  intense  passion,  or  feeling  on  any  subject,  and  it  is  a  custom 

221 


222  INDIAN    MUSIC,    SONGS,    AND    POETRY. 

which  has  been  persevered  in,  with  the  least  variation,  through  all  the 
phases  of  their  history,  and  probably  exists  among  the  remote  tribes,  pre 
cisely  at  this  time,  as  it  did  in  the  era  of  Columbus.  It  is  observed  to  be 
the  last  thing  abandoned  by  bands  and  individuals,  in  their  progress  to 
civilization  and  Christianity.  So  true  is  this,  that  it  may  be  regarded  as 
one  of  the  best  practical  proofs  of  their  advance,  to  find  the  native  in 
struments  and  music  thrown  by,  and  the  custom  abandoned. 

Every  one  has  heard  of  the  war  dance,  the  medicine  dance,  the  wabeno 
dance,  the  dance  of  honour  (generally  called  the  begging  dance,)  and 
various  others,  each  of  which  has  its  appropriate  movements,  its  air,  and 
its  words.  There  is  no  feast,  and  no  religious  ceremony,  among  them, 
which  is  not  attended  with  dancing  and  songs.  Thanks  are  thus  ex 
pressed  for  success  in  hunting,  for  triumphs  in  war,  and  for  ordinary 
providential  cares.  Public  opinion  is  called  to  pressing  objects  by  a 
dance,  at  which  addresses  are  made,  and  in  fact,  moral  instructions  and 
advice  are  given  to  the  young,  in  the  course  of  their  being  assembled  at 
social  feasts  and  dances.  Dancing  is  indeed  the  common  resource,  when 
ever  the  mass  of  Indian  mind  is  to  be  acted  on.  And  it  thus  stands 
viewed  in  its  necessary  connection  with  the  songs  and  addresses,  in  the 
room  of  the  press,  the  newspaper,  and  the  periodical.  The  priests  and 
prophets  have,  more  than  any  other  class,  cultivated  their  national  songs 
and  dances,  and  may  be  regarded  as  the  skalds  and  poets  of  the  tribes. 
They  are  generally  the  composers  of  the  songs,  and  the  leaders  in  the 
dance  and  ceremonies,  and  it  is  found,  that  their  memories  are  the  best 
stored,  not  only  with  the  sacred  songs  and  chants,  but  also  with  the  tradi 
tions,  and  general  lore  of  the  tribes. 

Dancing  is  thus  interwoven  throughout  the  whole  texture  of  Indian  so 
ciety,  so  that  there  is  scarcely  an  event  important  or  trivial,  private  or 
public,  which  is  not  connected,  more  or  less  intimately,  with  this  rite. 
The  instances  where  singing  is  adopted,  without  dancing,  are  nearly  con 
fined  to  occurrences  of  a  domestic  character.  Among  these,  are  wails  for 
the  dead,  and  love  songs  of  a  simple  and  plaintive  character.  Maternal 
affection  evinces  itself,  by  singing  words,  to  a  cheerful  air,  over  the  slum 
bers  of  the  child,  which,  being  suspended  in  a  kind  of  cradle  receives,  at 
the  same  time  avibratory  motion.  Children  have  likewise  certain  chants, 
which  they  utter  in  the  evenings,  while  playing  around  the  lodge  door, 
or  at  other  seasons  of  youthful  hilarity.  Some  of  the  Indian  fables  are 
in  the  shape  of  duets,  and  the  songs  introduced  in  narrating  their  ficti 
tious  tales,  are  always  sung  in  the  recital. 

Their  instruments  of  music  are  few  and  simple.  The  only  wrind  in 
strument  existing  among  them  is  the  Pibbegwon.  a  kind  of  flute,  resem 
bling  in  simplicity  the  Arcadian  pipe.  It  is  commonly  made  of  two  semi- 
cylindrical  pieces  of  cedar,  united  with  fish  glue,  and  having  a  snake  skin, 
in  a  wet  state,  drawn  tightly  over  it,  to  prevent  its  cracking.  The  holes 


INDIAN    MUSIC,    SONGS,    AN1)    POETRY.  223 

are  eight  in  number,  and  are  perforated  by  means  of  a  bit  of  heated  iron. 
It  is  blown  like  the  flagolet,  and  has  a  similar  orifice  or  moutn.  piece. 

The  TAYWA'EGUN,  (struck-sound-instrument,)  is  a  tamborine,  or  one- 
headed  drum,  and  is  made  by  adjusting  a  skin  to  one  end  of  the  section 
of  a  moderate  sized  hollow  tree.  When  a  heavier  sound  is  required,  a 
tree  of  larger  circumference  is  chosen,  and  both  ends  closed  with  skins. 
The  latter  is  called  MITTIGWUKEEK.  i.  e.  Wood-Kettle-Drum,  and  is  appro 
priately  used  in  religious  ceremonies,  but  is  not,  perhaps,  confined  to  this 
occasion. 

To  these  may  be  added  a  fourth  instrument,  called  the  SHESHEGWON,  or 
Rattle,  which  is  constructed  in  various  ways,  according  to  the  purpose  or 
means  of  the  maker.  Sometimes  it  is  made  of  animal  bladder,  from 
which  the  name  is  derived,  sometimes  of  a  wild  gourd ;  in  others,  by  at 
taching  the  dried  hoofs  of  the  deer  to  a  stick.  This  instrument  is  em 
ployed  both  to  mark  time,  and  to  produce  variety  in  sound. 

ORAL  COMPOSITION. 

Common  as  the  Indian  songs  are,  it  is  found  to  be  no  ordinary  acqui 
sition  to  obtain  accurate  specimens  of  them.  Even  after  the  difficulties 
of  the  notation  have  been  accomplished,  it  is  not  easy  to  satisfy  the  re 
quisitions  of  a  correct  taste  and  judgment,  in  their  exhibition.  There  is 
always  a  lingering  fear  of  misapprehension  or  misconception,  on  the  part 
of  the  interpreter — or  of  some  things  being  withheld  by  the  never  sleep 
ing  suspicion,  or  the  superstitious  fear  of  disclosure,  on  the  part  of  the 
Indian.  To  these  must  be  added,  the  idiomatic  and  imaginative  peculiari 
ties  of  this  species  of  wild  composition — so  very  different  from  every  no 
tion  of  English  versification.  In  the  first  place  there  is  no  unity  of  theme, 
or  plot,  unless  it  be  that  the  subject,  war  for  instance,  is  kept  in  the  singer's 
mind.  In  the  next  place  both  the  narration  and  the  description,  when 
introduced,  is  very  imperfect,  broken,  or  disjointed.  Prominent  ideas 
flash  out,  and  are  dropped.  These  are  often  most  striking  and  beauti 
ful,  but  we  wait  in  vain  for  any  sequence.  A  brief  allusion — a  shining 
symbol,  a  burst  of  feeling  or  passion,  a  fine  sentiment,  or  a  bold  assertion, 
come  in  as  so  many  independent  parts,  and  there  is  but  little  in  the  com 
position  to  indicate  the  leading  theme  which  is,  as  it  were,  kept  in  mental 
reserve,  by  the  singer.  Popular,  or  favourite  expressions  are  often  re 
peated,  often  transposed,  and  often  exhibited  with  some  new  shade  of 
meaning.  The 'structure  and  flexibility  of  the  language  is  highly  favour 
able  to  this  kind  of  wild  improvisation.  But  it  is  difficult  to  translate,  and 
next  to  impossible  to  preserve  its  spirit.  Two  languages  more  unlike  in 
all  their  leading  characteristics,  than  the  English  and  the  Indian  were 
never  brought  into  contact.  The  one  monosyllabic,  and  nearly  without 
inflections — the  other  polysyllabic,  polysynthetic  and  so  full  of  inflection* 


224  INDIAN    MUSIC,    SONGS,    AND    POETRY. 

of  every  imaginative  kind,  as  to  be  completely  transpositive — the  one 
from  the  north  of  Europe,  the  other,  probably,  from  Central  Asia,  it  would 
seem  that  these  families  of  the  human  race,  had  not  wandered  wider 
apart,  in  their  location,  than  they  have  in  the  sounds  of  their  language, 
the  accidence  of  their  grammar  and  the  definition  of  their  words.  So 
that  to  find  equivalent  single  words  in  translation,  appears  often  as  hope 
less  as  the  quadrature  of  the  circle. 

The  great  store-house  of  Indian  imagery  is  the  heavens.  The  clouds, 
the  planets,  the  sun,  and  moon,  the  phenomena  of  lightning,  thunder,  elec 
tricity,  aerial  sounds,  electric  or  atmospheric,  and  the  endless  variety  pro 
duced  in  the  heavens  by  light  and  shade,  and  by  elemental  action, — these 
constitute  the  fruitful  themes  of  allusion  in  their  songs  and  poetic  chants. 
But  they  are  mere  allusions,  or  broken  description,  like  touches  on  the 
canvass,  without  being  united  to  produce  a  perfect  object.  The  strokes 
may  be  those  of  a  master,  and  the  colouring  exquisite  ;  but  without  the 
art  to  draw,  or  the  skill  to  connect,  it  will  still  remain  but  a  shapeless  mass 
In  war  excursions  great  attention  is  paid  to  the  flight  of  birds,  particularly 
those  of  the  carnivorous  species,  which  are  deemed  typical  of  war  and  bra 
very,  and  their  wing  and  tail  feathers  are  appropriated  as  marks  of  honor,  by 
the  successful  warrior.  When  the  minds  of  a  war  party  have  been  roused 
up  to  the  subject,  and  they  are  prepared  to  give  utterance  to  their  feelings 
by  singing  and  dancing,  they  are  naturally  led  to  appeal  to  the  agency 
of  this  class  of  birds.  Hence  the  frequent  allusions  to  them,  in  their 
songs.  The  following  stanza  is  made  up  of  expressions  brought  into  con 
nection,  from  different  fragments,  but  expresses  no  more  than  the  native 
sentiments  : 

The  eagles  scream  on  high, 
They  whet  their  forked  beaks, 

Raise — raise  the  battle  cry, 
'Tis  fame  our  leader  seeks. 

Generally  the  expressions  are  of  an  exalted  and  poetic  character,  but 
the  remark  before  made  of  their  efforts  in  song,  being  discontinuous  and 
abrupt,  apply  with  peculiar  force  to  the  war  songs.  To  speak  of  a  brave 
man — of  a  battle— or  the  scene  of  a  battle,  or  of  the  hovering  of  birds  of 
prey  above  it,  appears  sufficient  to  bring  up  to  the  warrior's  mind,  all  the 
details  consequent  on  personal  bravery  or  heroic  achievement.  It  would 
naturally  be  expected,  that  they  should  delight  to  dwell  on  scenes  of  car 
nage  and  blood  :  but  however  this  may  be,  all  such  details  are  omitted  or 
suppressed  in  their  war  songs,  which  only  excite  ideas  of  noble  daring. 

The  birds  of  the  brave  take  a  flight  round  the  sky. 

They  cross  the  enemy's  line, 
Full  happy  am  I — that  my  body  should  fall, 

Where  brave  men  love  to  die. 


S ai*o ity  ifc  Major  Lith 


117  Fulton  St .Iffv 


PO-CA-HON  -TAS  . 


INDIAN    MUSIC,    SONGS,    AND   POETRY.  225 

Very  little  effort  in  the  collocation  and  expansion  of  some  of  their  senti 
ments,  would  impart  to  these  bold  and  unfettered  raphsodies,  an  attractive 
form,  among  polished  war  songs. 

The  strain  in  which  these  measures  are  sung,  is  generally  slow  and 
grave  in  its  commencement  and  progress,  and  terminates  in  the  highest 
note.  While  the  words  admit  of  change,  and  are  marked  by  all  the  fluc 
tuation  of  extempore  composition,  the  air  and  the  chorus  appear  to  be  per 
manent,  consisting  not  only  of  a  graduated  succession  of  fixed  sounds, 
but,  always  exact  in  their  enunciation,  their  quantity,  and  their  wild  and 
startling  musical  expression.  It  has  always  appeared  to  me  that  the  In 
dian  music  is  marked  by  a  nationality,  above  many  other  traits,  and  it  is 
a  subject  inviting  future  attention.  It  is  certain  that  the  Indian  ear  is  ex 
act  in  noting  musical  sounds,  and  in  marking  and  beating  time.  But  little 
observation  at  their  dances,  will  be  sufficient  to  establish  this  fact.  Nor 
is  it  less  certain,  by  attention  to  the  philology  of  their  language,  that  they 
are  exact  in  their  laws  of  euphony,  and  syllabical  quantity.  How  this 
remark  may  consist  with  the  use  of  unmeasured  and  fluctuating  poetry 
in  their  songs,  it  may  require  studied  attention  to  answer.  It  is  to  be  ob 
served,  however,  that  these  songs  .are  rather  recited,  or  chanted,  than 
sung.  Increments  of  the  chorus  are  not  unfrequently  interspersed,  in  the 
body  of  the  line,  which  would  otherwise  appear  deficient  in  quantity ;  and 
perhaps  rules  of  metre  may  be  found,  by  subsequent  research,  which  are 
not  obvious,  or  have  been  concealed  by  the  scantiness  of  the  materials,  on 
this  head,  which  have  been  examined.  To  determine  the  airs  and  cho 
ruses  and  the  character  of  the  music,  will  prove  one  of  the  greatest  facil 
ities  to  this  inquiry.  Most  of  the  graver  pieces,  which  have  been  written 
out,  are  arranged  in  metres  of  sixes,  sevens,  and  eights.  The  lighter 
chants  are  in  threes  or  fours,  and  consist  of  iambics  and  trochees  irregu 
larly.  Those  who  have  translated  hymns  into  the  various  languages, 
have  followed  the  English  metres,  not  always  without  the  necessity  of  elis 
ion,  or  employing  constrained  or  crampt  modes  of  expression.  A  worse 
system  could  not  have  been  adopted  to  show  Indian  sentiment.  The  mu 
sic  in  all  these  cases  has  been  like  fetters  to  the  free,  wild  thoughts  of  the 
native  singer.  As  a  general  criticism  upon  these  translations,  it  may  be 
remarked  that  they  are  often  far  from  being  literal,  and  often  omit  parts 
of  the  original.  On  the  other  hand,  by  throwing  away  adjectives,  in  a  great 
degree,  and  dropping  all  incidental  or  side  thoughts,  and  confining  the 
Indian  to  the  leading  thought  or  sentiment,  they  are,  sometimes,  rendered 
more  simple,  appropriate,  and  effective.  Finally,  whatever  cultivated 
minds  among  the  Indians,  or  their  descendants  may  have  done,  it  is  quite 
evident  to  me,  from  the  attention  I  have  been  able  to  give  the  subject, 
that  the  native  compositions  were  without  m^tre.  The  natives  appear  to 
have  sung  a  sufficient  number  of  syllables  to  comply  with  the  air,  and 
effected  the  necessary  pauses,  for  sense  or  sound,  by  either  slurring  over, 

15 


226  INDIAN    MUSIC,    SONGS,    AND    POETRY. 

and  thus  shortening,  or  by  throwing-  in  floating  particles  of  the  language, 
to  eke  out  the  quantity,  taken  either  from  the  chorus,  or  from  the  general 
auxiliary  forms  of  the  vocabulary. 

Rhyme  is  permitted  by  the  similarity  of  the  sounds  from  which  the  vo 
cabulary  is  formed,  but  the  structure  of  the  language  does  not  appear  to 
admit  of  its  being  successfully  developed  in  this  manner.  Its  forms  are 
too  cumbrous  for  regularly  recurring  expressions,  subjected  at  once  to  the 
laws  of  metre  and  rhyme.  The  instances  of  rhyme  that  have  been  ob 
served  in  the  native  songs  are  few,  and  appear  to  be  the  result  of  the  for 
tuitous  positions  of  words,  rather  than  of  art.  The  following  juvenile 
see-saw  is  one  of  the  most  perfect  specimens  noticed,  being  exact  in  both 
particulars  : 

Ne  osh  im  aun 

Ne  way  be  naun. 

These  are  expressions  uttered  on  sliding  a  carved  stick  down  snow 
banks,  or  over  a  glazed  surface  of  ice,  in  the  appropriate  season  ;  and  they 
may  be  rendered  with  nearly  literal  exactness,  thus : 

My  sliding  stick 

1  send  quick — quick. 

Not  less  accurate  in  the  rhyme,  but  at  lines  of  six  and  eight  feet,  which 
might  perhaps  be  exhibited  unbroken,  is  the  following  couplet  of  a  war 
song: 

Au  pit  she  Mon  e  tdg 

Ne  mud  wa  wa  wau  we  ne  gog. 

The  Spirit  on  high, 
Repeats  my  warlike  name. 

In  the  translation  of  hymns,  made  during  the  modern  period  of  mis 
sionary  effort,  there  has  been  no  general  attempt  to  secure  rhyme ;  and  as 
these  translations  are  generally  due  to  educated  natives,  under  the  inspec 
tion  and  with  the  critical  aid  of  the  missionary,  they  have  evinced  a  true 
conception  of  the  genius  of  the  language,  by  the  omission  of  this  acci 
dent.  Eliot,  who  translated  the  psalms  of  David  into  the  Massachusetts 
language,  which  were  first  printed  in  1661,  appears  to  have  deemed  it  im 
portant  enough  to  aim  at  its  attainment :  but  an  examination  of  the  work, 
now  before  us,  gives  but  little  encouragement  to  others  to  follow  his  ex 
ample,  at  least  while  the  languages  remain  in  their  present  rude  and  un 
cultivated  state.  The  following  is  the  XXIII  Psalm  from  this  version  : 

1.     Mar  teag  nukquenaabikoo 

shepse  nanaauk  God. 
Nussepsinwahik  ashkoshqut 
nuttinuk  ohtopagod 


INDIAN   MUSIC,    SONGS,    AND    POETRY.  227 

2.  Nagum  nukketeahog  kounoh 

wutomohkinuh  wonk 
Nutuss  oounuk  ut  sampoi  may 
newutch  oowesnonk. 

3.  Wutonkauhtamut  pomushaon 

muppooonk  oonauhkoe 
Woskehettuonk  mo  nukqueh  tamoo 
newutch  koowetomah : 

4.  Kuppogkomunk  kutanwohon 

nish  noonenehikquog 
Koonochoo  hkah  anquabhettit 
wame  nummatwomog 

5.  Kussussequnum  nuppuhkuk 

weetepummee  nashpea 
Wonk  woi  God  nootallamwaitch 
pomponetupohs  hau 

6.  QQniyeuonk  monaneteonk 

nutasukkonkqunash 
Tohsohke  pomantam  wekit  God 
michem  nuttain  pish  *. 

This  appears  to  have  been  rendered  from  the  version  of  the  psalms  ap 
pended  to  an  old  edition  of  King  James'  Bible  of  1611,  and  not  from  the 
versification  of  Watts.  By  comparing  it  with  this,  as  exhibited  below, 
there  will  be  found  the  same  metre,  eights  and  sixes,  the  same  syllabical 
quantity,  (if  the  notation  be  rightly  conceived,)  and  the  same  coincidence 
of  rhyme  at  the  second  and  fourth  lines  of  each  verse ;  although  it  re 
quired  an  additional  verse  to  express  the  entire  psalm.  It  could  therefore 
be  sung  to  the  ordinary  tunes  in  use  in  Eliot's  time,  and,  taken  in  con 
nection  with  his  entire  version,  including  the  Old  and  New  Testament, 
evinces  a  degree  of  patient  assiduity  on  the  part  of  that  eminent  mission 
ary,  which  is  truly  astonishing  : 

The  Lord  is  my  shepherd,  I'll  not  want ; 

2.     He  makes  me  down  to  lie 
In  pastures  green  :  he  leadeth  me 

the  quiet  waters  by. 

3.     My  soul  he  doth  restore  aga..c 
and  me  to  walk  doth  make 
Within  the  paths  of  righteousness 
E'en  for  his  own  name's  sake. 

Eliot  employed  the  figure  8,  set  horizontally,  to  express  a  peculiar  sound .  otherwwt 
he  used  the  English  alphabet  in  its  ordinary  powers. 


228  .NDIAN    MUSIC,    SONGS,    AND    POETRY. 

4.  Yea,  though  I  walk  in  death's  dark  vale, 

yet  will  I  fear  none  ill ; 
For  thou  art  with  me  and  thy  rod 
and  staff  me  comfort  still. 

5.  My  table  thou  hast  furnished 

in  presence  of  my  foes  ; 
My  head  thou  dost  with  oil  annoint, 
and  my  cup  overflows. 

6.  Goodness  and  mercy  all  my  life 

shall  surely  follow  me  ; 
And  in  God's  house  forevermore 
my  dwelling  place  shall  be. 

The  harmony  of  numbers  has  always  detracted  from  the  plain  sense, 
and  the  piety  of  thought,  of  the  scriptures,  which  is  the  probable  cause  of 
so  many  failures  on  the  subject.  In  the  instance  of  this  Psalm,  it  will  be 
observed,  by  a  comparison,  that  Watts,  who  has  so  generally  succeeded, 
does  not  come  up,  in  any  respect,  to  the  full  literal  meaning  of  the  origi 
nal,  which  is  well  preserved,  with  the  requisite  harmony,  in  the  old  ver 
sion. 

There  is  one  species  of  oral  composition  existing  among  all  the  tribes, 
which,  from  its  peculiarities,  deserves  to  be  separately  mentioned.  I  al 
lude  to  the  hieratic  chants,  choruses  and  incantations  of  their  professed 
prophets,  medicine  men  and  jugglers — constituting,  as  these  men  do,  a  d'S- 
tinct  order  in  Indian  society,  who  are  entitled  by  their  supposed  skill,  wis 
dom  or  sanctity,  to  exercise  the  offices  of  a  priesthood.  Affecting  mys 
tery  in  the  discharge  of  their  functions,  their  songs  and  choruses  ara 
couched  in  language  which  is  studiously  obscure,  oftentimes  cabalistic, 
and  generally  not  well  understood  by  any  but  professed  initiates. 

Nothing,  however,  in  this  department  of  my  inquiries,  has  opened  a 
more  pleasing  view  of  society,  exposed  to  the  bitter  vicissitudes  of  Indian 
life,  than  the  little  domestic  chants  of  mothers,  and  the  poetic  see-saws  of 
children,  of  which  specimens  are  furnished.  These  show  the  universal 
ity  of  the  sentiments  of  natural  affection,  and  supply  another  proof,  were 
any  wanting,  to  demonstrate  that  it  is  only  ignorance,  indolence  and  pov 
erty,  that  sink  the  human  character,  and  create  the  leading  distinctions 
.among  the  races  of  men.  Were  these  affections  cultivated,  and  children 
early  taught  the  principles  of  virtue  and  rectitude,  and  the  maxims  of  in 
dustry,  order  and  cleanliness,  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  mass  of  Indian 
society  would  be  meliorated  in  a  comparatively  short  period  ;  and  by  a 
continuance  of  efforts  soon  exalted  from  that  state  of  degradation,  of 
which  the  want  of  letters  and  religion  have  been  the  principal  causes. 

In  presenting  these  specimens  of  songs,  gathered  among  the  recesses 
of  the  forest,  it  is  hoped  it  will  not  be  overlooked,  by  the  reader,  that  they 


INDIAN    MUSIC,    SONGS,    AND    POETRY.  229 

are  submitted  as  facts  or  materials,  in  the  mental  condition  of  the  tribes, 
and  not  as  evidences  of  attainment  in  the  arts  of  metre  and  melody,  which 
will  bear  to  be  admitted  or  even  criticised  by  the  side  of  the  refined  poetry 
of  civilized  nations.  And  above  all,  not  as  efforts  to  turn  Indian  senti 
ments  to  account,  in  original  composition.  No  such  idea  is  entertained. 
If  materials  be  supplied  from  which  some  judgment  maybe  formed  of  the 
actual  state  of  these  songs  and  rude  oral  compositions,  or  improvisations, 
the  extent  of  the  object  will  have  been  attained.  But  even  here,  there  is 
less,  with  the  exception  of  a  single  department,  i.  e.  versification  and  com 
position  by  cultivated  natives,  than  it  was  hoped  to  furnish.  And  this 
little,  has  been  the  result  of  a  species  of  labour,  in  the  collection,  quite  dis 
proportionate  to  the  result.  It  is  hoped  at  least,  that  it  may  indicate  the 
mode  in  which  such  collections  may  be  made,  among  the  tribes,  and  be 
come  the  means  of  eliciting  materials  more  worthy  of  attention. 

This  much  seemed  necessary  to  be  said  in  introducing  the  following 
specimens,  that  there  might  not  appear,  to  the  reader,  to  be  an  undue  esti 
mate  placed  on  the  literary  value  of  these  contributions,  and  translations, 
while  the  main  object  is,  to  exhibit  them  in  the  series,  as  illustrations  of 
the  mental  peculiarities  of  the  tribes.  To  dismiss  them,  however,  with  a 
bare,  frigid  word  for  word  translation,  such  as  is  required  for  the  pur 
poses  of  philological  comparison,  would  by  no  means  do  justice  to  them, 
nor  convey,  in  any  tolerable  degree,  the  actual  sentiments  in  the  minds  of 
the  Indians.  That  the  opposite  error  might  not,  at  the  same  time,  be  run 
into,  and  the  reader  be  deprived  altogether  of  this  means  of  comparison, 
a  number  of  the  pieces  are  left  with  literal  prose  translations,  word  for 
word  as  near  as  the  two  languages  will  permit.  Others  exhibit  both  a 
literal,  and  a  versified  translation. 


All  the  North  American  Indians  know  that  there  is  a  God  ;  but  their 
priests  teach  them  that  the  devil  is  a  God,  and  as  he  is  believed  to  be  very 
malignant,  it  is  the  great  object  of  their  ceremonies  and  sacrifices,  to 
appease  him. 

The  Indians  formerly  worshipped  the  Sun,  as  the  symbol  of  divine 
intelligence. 

Fire  is  an  unexplained  mystery  to  the  Indian  ;  he  regards  it  as  a  con 
necting  link  between  the  natural  and  spiritual  world.  His  traditionary 
lore  denotes  this. 

Zoroaster  says  :  "  When  you  behold  secret  fire,  without  form,  shining 
flashingly  through  the  depths  of  the  whole  world — hear  the  voice  of 
fire."  One  might  suppose  this  t)  have  been  uttered  by  a  North  Ameri 
can  Indian. 


CHANT  TO  THE  FIRE-FLY. 

IN  the  hot  summer  evenings,  the  children  of  the  Chippewa  Algon- 
quins,  along  the  shores  of  the  upper  lakes,  and  in  the  northern  latitudes, 
frequently  assemble  before  their  parents'  lodges,  and  amuse  themselves  by 
little  chants  of  various  kinds,  with  shouts  and  wild  dancing.  Attracted 
by  such  shouts  of  merriment  and  gambols,  I  walked  out  one  evening,  to 
a  green  lawn  skirting  the  edge  of  the  St.  Mary's  river,  with  the  fall  in 
full  view,  to  get  hold  of  the  meaning  of  some  of  these  chants.  The  air 
and  the  plain  were  literally  sparkling  with  the  phosphorescent  light  of  the 
fire-fly..  By  dint  of  attention,  repeated  on  one  or  two  occasions,  the  fol 
lowing  succession  of  words  was  caught.  They  were  addressed  to  this 
insect : 

Wau  wau  tay  see ! 

Wau  wau  tay  see ! 

E  mow  e  shin 

Tshe  bwau  ne  baun-e  wee ! 

Be  eghaun — be  eghaun — ewee  ! 

Wa  Wau  tay  see  ! 

Wa  wau  tay  see  ! 

Was  sa  koon  ain  je  gun 

Was  sa  koon  ain  je  gun. 

LITERAL  TRANSLATION. 

Flitting-white-fire-insect !  waving-white-fire-bug  !  give  me  light  befort 
I  go  to  bed  !  give  me  light  before  I  go  to  sleep.  Come,  little  dancing  *• 
white-fire-bug  !  Come  little  flitting-white-fire-beast !  Light  me  with  youi 
bright  white-flame-instrument — your  little  candle  f. 

Metre  there  was  none,  at  least,  of  a  regular  character  :  they  were  the 
wild  improvisations  of  children  in  a  merry  mood. 


*  In  giving  the  particle  wa,  the  various  meanings  of  "  flitting,"  "  wavir 
"  dancing,"  the  Indian  idiom  is  fully  preserved.     The  final  particle  see,  in  t 


waving,"  and 
b,  in  the  term 

wa  wa  tai  see,  is  from  the  generic  root  asee,  meaning  a  living  creature,  or  created  form, 
not  man.  By  prefixing  Ahw  to  the  root,  we  have  the  whole  class  of  quadrupeds,  and 
by  pen,  the  whole  class  of  birds,  &c.  The  Odjibwa  Algonquin  term  for  a  candle,  was 
sa  koon  ain  je  gun,  is  literally  rendered  from  its  elements — "  bright — white — flamed— 
instrument."  It  is  by  the  very  concrete  character  of  these  compounds  that  so  much 
meaning  results  from  a  few  words,  and  so  considerable  a  latitude  in  translation  is  given 
to  Indian  words  generally. 

[t  Fire-fly,  fire-fly  !  bright  little  thing, 

Light  me  to  bed,  and  my  song  I  will  sing. 

Give  me  your  light,  as  you  fly  o'er  my  head, 

That  I  may  merrily  go  to  my  bed. 

Give  me  your  light  o'er  the  grass  as  you  creep, 

That  I  may  joyfully  go  to  my  sleep. 

Come  little  fire-fly — come  little  beast — 

Come !  and  I'll  make  you  to-morrow  a  feast. 

Come  little  candle  that  flies  as  I  sing, 

Bright  little  fairy-bug — night's  little  king ; 

Come,  and  T'll  dance  as  you  guide  me  along, 

Come,  and  I'll  pay  you,  my  bug,  with  a  song.] 

230 


ETHNOLOGY. 


SCHOOLCRAFT'S  AMERICAN  CYCLOPAEDIA,  OR  ETHNOLOGICAL 
GAZETTEER  OF  THE  INDIAN  TRIBES  OF  THE  AMERICAN 
CONTINENT,  NORTH  AND  SOUTH,  COMPRISING  THEIR  HISTORY, 
GEOGRAPHY,  AND  NOMENCLATURE,  FROM  THE  DISCOVERY  IN 
1492,  TO  THE  PRESENT  PERIOD. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 

A  PROSPECTUS  for  this  work  was  issued  in  1842.  While  the  title  is 
slightly  modified,  the  design  and  plan  of  its  execution  have  not  been 
essentially  changed.  The  principal  object  aimed  at,  under  the  general 
idea  of  the  history  and  geography  of  the  Aboriginal  Race,  is  to  furnish  a 
general  and  standard  reference-book,  or  short  encyclopedia  of  topics  rela 
tive  to  the  entire  race,  alphabetically  arranged.  By  the  insertion  of  the 
name  of  each  family  of  tribes,  nation,  sub-tribe,  or  important  clan,  the 
occasion  will  be  presented  of  noticing  the  leading  or  characteristic  events, 
in  their  history,  numbers,  government,  religion,  languages,  arts  or  distinc 
tive  character. 

Where  the  scene  or  era  of  their  expansion,  growth  and  decay  has 
been  so  extensive,  embracing  as  it  does,  the  widest  bounds  and  remotest 
periods,  their  antiquities  have  also  called  for  a  passing  notice.  Nor  could 
any  thing  like  a  satisfactory  accomplishment  of  the  plan  be  effected, 
without  succinct  notices  of  the  lives  and  achievements  of  their  principal 
chiefs,  rulers,  and  leading  personages. 

Language  is  an  important  means  of  denoting  the  intricate  thread  of 
history  in  savage  nations.  Mr.  Pritchard  considers  it  more  important  than 
physiological  structure  and  peculiarities.  It  is,  at  least,  found  often  to 
reveal  ethnological  affinities,  where  both  the  physical  type,  and  the  light 
of  tradition,  afford  but  little  aid.  The  words  and  names  of  a  people,  are 
so  many  clues  to  their  thoughts  and  intellectual  structure  ;  this  branch  of 
the  subject,  indeed,  formed  the  original  germ  of  the  present  plan,  which 
was  at  first  simply  geographical,  and  has  been  rather  expanded  and  built 
upon,  than,  if  we  may  so  say,  supplied  the  garniture  of  the  edifice.  In  a 
class  of  transpositive  languages,  which  are  very  rich  in  their  combinations, 
and  modes  of  concentrated  description,  it  must  needs  happen,  that  the  names 
of  places  would  often  recall  both  associations  and  descriptions  of  deep 

231 


232 


ETHNOLOGY. 


interest  in  contemplating  the  fate  and  fortunes  of  this  unfortunate  race. 
Without  intruding  upon  the  reader  disquisitions  which  would  be  out  of 
place,  no  opportunity  has  been  omitted,  from  the  consideration  of  their 
names,  to  throw  around  the  sites  of  their  former  or  present  residence,  this 
species  of  interest. 

But  half  the  work  would  have  been  done,  it  is  conceived,  to  have  con 
fined  the  work  to  North  America ;  and  it  must  necessarily  have  lost,  by 
such  a  limitation,  more  than  half  its  interest.  We  are  just  beginning  in 
truth  to  comprehend  the  true  character  and  bearing  of  that  unique  type  of 
civilization  which  existed  in  Mexico,  Peru,  and  Yucatan.  The  rude  hand 
with  which  these  embryo  kingdoms  of  the  native  race  were  overturned, 
in  consequence  of  their  horrid  idolatries,  necessarily  led  to  the  destruction 
of  much  of  their  monumental,  and  so  far  as  their  picture  writing  reached, 
some  of  their  historical  materials,  of  both  of  which,  we  now  feel  the 
want.  It  is  some  relief,  to  know,  as  the  researches  of  Mr.  Gallatin, 
which  are  now  in  progress,  demonstrate,  that  by  far  the  greatest  amount 
of  the  ancient  Mexican  picture  writings,  as  they  are  embraced  in  the 
elaborate  work  of  Lord  Kingsborough,  relate  to  their  mythology  and 
superstitions,  and  are  of  no  historical  value  whatever.  And  if  the  portions 
destroyed  in  the  Mexican  and  Peruvian  conquests,  were  as  liberally  inter 
spersed  with  similar  evidences  of  their  wild  polytheism,  shocking  man 
ners,  and  degraded  worship,  neither  chronology  nor  history  have  so  much 
to  lament. 

The  early,  strong  and  continued  exertions  which  were  made  by  the 
conquerors  to  replace  this  system  of  gross  superstition  and  idolatry,  bj 
the  Romish  ritual,  filled  Mexico  and  South  America  with  mission.', 
of  the  Catholic  Church,  which  were  generally  under  the  charge  of  zealous^ 
and  sometimes  of  learned  and  liberal-spirited  superintendants,  who  hava 
accumulated  facts  respecting  the  character  and  former  condition  of  the, 
race.  These  missions,  which  were  generally  spread  parallel  to  the  sea 
coasts  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific,  reaching  inland  along  the  banks  of  the 
great  rivers  and  plains,  have  confessedly  done  much  to  ameliorate  the 
manners  and  condition  of  the  native  race,  to  foster  a  spirit  of  industiy,  an»l 
to  enlighten  their  minds.  Still,  it  is  scarcely  known,  that  numerous  and 
powerful  tribes,  stretching  through  wide  districts  of  the  Andes  and  the 
Cordilleras,  never  submitted  to  the  conqueror,  and  yet  exist  in  their  origi 
nal  state  of  barbarism. 

In  this  department  of  inquiry,  the  geographical  and  historical  work  of 
De  Alcedo,  which,  so  far  as  the  Spanish  and  Portuguese  missions  are 
concerned,  is  both  elaborate  and  complete  in  its  details,  has  been  taken  as 
a  basis.  No  one  can  write  of  South  America  and  its  native  tribes,  without 
reference  to  Humboldt.  Other  standard  writers  have  been  consulted,  to 
give  this  part  of  the  work  as  much  value  as  possible,  not  excepting  the 
latest  voyages  and  travels.  The  design  has  been,  without  aiming  at  too 


ETHNOLOGY. 


233 


much,  to  compress  a  body  of  leading  and  characteristic  facts,  in  the  shortest 
practicable  compass,  which  should,  at  the  same  time,  present  an  ethnologi 
cal  view  of  the  various  families  and  groups  of  the  race. 

In  each  department  of  inquiry,  which  admitted  of  it,  the  author  has 
availed  himself  of  such  sources  and  opportunities  of  personal  observation 
and  experience,  as  his  long  residence  in  the  Indian  territories,  and  his 
study  of  the  Indian  history  have  afforded.  And  he  is  not  without  the  hope, 
that  his  inquiries  and  researches  on  this  head  may  be  found  to  be  such  as 
to  merit  approval. 


AB,  often  pronounced  with  the  sound  of  we,  before  it, — a  particle  which, 
in  geographical  names,  in  the  family  of  the  Algonquin  dialects,  denotes 
light,  or  the  east.  It  is  also  the  radix  of  the  verb  wab,  to  see,  as  well  as  of 
the  derivatives,  a-ab,  an  eye-ball,  and  wabishka,  a  white  substance,  &c., 
— ideas  which  either  in  their  origin  or  application,  are  closely  allied. 

ABACARIS,  a  settlement  of  Indians  in  the  Portuguese  possessions  of  the 
province  of  Amazon.  These  people  derive  their  name  from  a  lake,  upon 
which  they  reside.  It  is  a  peculiarity  of  this  lake,  that  it  has  its  outlet 
into  the  river  Madiera  which,  after  flowing  out  of  the  province  turns  about 
and  again  enters  it,  forming,  in  this  involution,  the  large  and  fertile  island 
of  Topanambes.  This  tribe  is  under  the  instruction  of  the  Carmelites. 
They  retain  many  of  their  early  peculiarities  of  manners  and  modes  of 
of  life,  They  subsist  by  the  cultivation  of  maize,  and  by  taking  fish  in  the 
waters  of  the  Abacaris ;  or  Abacactes  in  addition  to  these  means,  they 
rely  upon  tropical  fruits.  The  latest  notices  of  them  come  down  to  1789. 
But  little  is  known  of  their  numbers,  or  present  condition. 

ABACHES,  or  Apaches,  an  erratic  tribe  of  Irfdians,  who  infest  the  prairies 
of  western  Texas  and  New  Mexico.  They  are  supposed  by  some,  to  con 
sist  of  not  less  than  15,000  souls.  They  are  divided  into  petty  bands, 
known  under  various  names.  They  are  the  most  vagrant  of  all  the  wild 
hunter  tribes  of  the  general  area  denoted.  They  do  not  live  in  fixed  abodes, 
but  shift  about  in  search  of  game  or  plunder,  and  are  deemed  a  pest  by 
the  Santa  Fe  traders.  They  raise  nothing  and  manufacture  nothing. 
Those  of  them  who  are  east  of  the  Rio  del  Norte,  subsist  on  the  baked 
root  of  the  mauguey,  and  a  similar  plant  called  Mezcal,  and  hence  they 
are  called  Mezcaleros. 

Another  division  of  them,  and  by  far  the  greatest,  rove  west  of  that 
stream,  where  they  are  called  Coyoteros,  from  their  habit  of  eating  the 
coyote,  or  prairie  wolf.  They  extend  west  into  California  and  Sonora. 
They  bear  a  bad  character  wherever  they  are  known.  If  on  the  outskirts 


234  ETHNOLOGY. 

of  the  ranches  and  haciendas,  they  steal  cattle  and  sheep.  If  on  the  wide 
and  destitute  plains  which  they  traverse,  they  thieve  and  murder.  Some 
times  they  are  pursued  and  punished  ;  more  frequently,  they  escape.  The 
Mexican  authorities  keep  some  sort  of  terms  with  them  by  treaties,  which 
the  vagrants,  however,  break  and  disregard,  whenever  they  are  excited  by 
hunger,  or  the  lust  of  plunder.  For  Indians  bearing  the  name,  formerly 
from  the  U.  States,  see  Apaches. 

ABACO,  one  of  the  Bahama  islands.  The  native  inhabitants  of  this,  and 
the  adjacent  groupes  of  islands,  were,  early  after  the  discovery,  transported 
to  the  main,  to  work  in  the  mines.  In  1788  this  island,  known  to  nautical 
men  as  the  locality  of  the  Hole  in  the  Wall,  had  a  population  of  50  whites, 
and  200  Africans. 

ABACOOCHE,  or  COOSA,  a  stream  rising  in  Georgia.  It  flows  into 
Alabama,  and  after  uniting  with  the  Tallapoosa,  a  few  miles  below  We- 
tumpka  it  forms  the  Alabama  river.  The  word  is,  apparently,  derived 
from  Oscooche,  one  of  the  four  bands  into  which  the  Muscogees,  were 
anciently  divided. 

ABANAKEE,  or  Eastlanders,  a  distinct  people,  consisting  of  a  plurality 
of  tribes,  who  formerly  occupied  the  extreme  north  eastern  part  of  the 
United  States.  The  word  is  variously  written  by  early  writers.  See 
Abenakies,  Abernaquis,  Wabunakies. 

ABANCAY,  the  capital  of  a  province  of  the  same  name  20  leagues  from 
Cuzco,  in  Peru.  It  is  memorable  for  the  victories  gained  in  the  vicinity 
by  the  king's  troops  in  1542  and  1548  against  Gonzalo  Pizarro.  It  lies 
in  a  rich  and  spacious  valley,  which  was  inhabited  by  the  subjects  of  the 
Inca,  on  the  conquest. 

ABASCA,  or  RABASCA,  a  popular  corruption,  in  the  northwest,  of  Atha 
basca,  which  see. 

ABANES,  an  unreclaimed  nation  of  Indians,  living  in  the  plains  of  St 
Juan,  to  the  north  of  the  Orinoco,  in  New  Grenada.  They  are  of  a  docile 
character,  and  good  disposition,  lending  a.  ready  ear  to  instruction,  but 
have  not  embraced  the  Catholic  religion.  They  inhabit  the  wooded 
shores  of  the  river,  and  shelter  themselves  from  the  effects  of  a  tropical  sun,, 
in  the  open  plains,  by  erecting  their  habitations  in  the  small  copse-wood. 
They  are  bounded  towards  the  west,  by  the  Andaquies  and  Caberras,  and 
east  by  the  Salivas. 

ABANGOTJI,  a  large  settlement  of  the  Guarani  nation  of  Indians,  on  the 
shores  of  the  river  Taquani,  in  Paraguay.  This  stream  and  its  inhabi 
tants  were  discovered  by  A.  Numez,  in  1541. 

ABECOOCHI,  see  Abacooche. 

ABEICAS,  an  ancient  name  for  a  tribe  of  Indians,  in  the  present  erea  of 
the  United  States,  who  are  placed  in  the  earlier  geographies,  south  of  the 
Alabamas  and  west  of  the  Cherokees.  They  dwelt  at  a  distance  from  the 
large  rivers,  yet  were  located  in  the  districts  of  the  cane,  out  of  the  hard 


ETHNOLOGY.  235 

substance  of  which  they  made  a  kind  of  knife,  capable  of  answering  the 
principal  purposes  of  this  instrument.  They  were  at  enmity  with  the  Iro- 
quois. 

ABENAKIES,  a  nation  formerly  inhabiting  a  large  part  of  the  territorial 
area  of  the  states  of  New  Hampshire  and  Maine.  There  were  several 
tribes,  of  this  nation  the  principal  of  which  were  the  Pcnobscots,  the  Nor- 
redgewocks,  and  the  Ameriscoggins.  They  were  at  perpetual  hostilities 
with  the  New  England  colonists.  They  had  received  missionaries,  at  an 
early  day,  from  the  French  in  Canada,  and  acted  in  close  concert  with 
the  hostile  Indians  from  that  quarter.  At  length  in  1724,  the  government 
of  Massachusetts  organized  an  effective  expedition  against  them,  which 
ascended  the  Kennebec,  attacked  the  chief  town  of  the  Norredgewocks,  and 
killed  a  large  number  of  their  bravest  warriors.  Among  the  slain,  was 
found  their  missionary  Sebastian  Rasle,  who  had  taken  up  arms  in  their 
defence.  There  was  found,  among  his  papers,  a  copious  vocabulary  of 
the  language,  which  has  recently  been  published  under  the  supervision  of 
Mr.  Pickering.  In  the  year  1754,  all  the  Abenakies,  except  the  Penob- 
scots,  removed  into  Canada.  This  nation  had  directed  their  attention,  al 
most  exclusively,  to  hunting.  At  the  mouth  of  the  Kennebec  they  absolute 
ly  planted  nothing.  Their  lauguage,  as  observed  by  Mr.  Gallatin,  has 
strong  affinities  with  those  of  the  Etchemins,  and  of  the  Micmacs,  of  New 
Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia  ;  there  are  fewer  resemblances  in  its  vocabu 
lary  to  the  dialects  south  of  them.  This  nation  appears  to  have  been 
called  Tarrenteens,  by  the  New  England  Indians.  Their  generic  name 
for  themselves,  if  they  had  one,  is  unknown.  The  term  Abenakie,  is  one 
manifestly  imposed  by  Algonquin  tribes  living  west  and  south  of  them. 
It  is  derived  from  wabanung,  the  east,  or  a  place  of  light,  and  akee,  land. 

ABEKAS,  a  name  applied,  so  late  as  1750,  to  a  band  of  the  Muscogees, 
living  on  the  river  Tombigbee,  within  the  present  area  of  Alabama. 

ABERNAQUIS,  a  settlement  of  the  expatriated  Abenakies  of  New  Eng 
land,  in  Lower  Canada.  They  subsist  themselves  at  this  time  in  a  great 
measure  by  agriculture,  and  manifest  a  disposition  to  improve.  From  a 
report  made  in  1839  by  the  American  Board  of  Foreign  missions  of  Bos 
ton  who  employ  a  missionary  and  teacher  among  them,  sixty  persons 
attend  Protestant  worship,  of  which  number,  24  are  church  members. 
Twenty  of  the  youth  attend  a  daily  school. 

ABIGIRAS,  an  Indian  mission  formerly  under  the  charge  of  the  order 
of  Jesuits,  in  the  governmental  department  of  Quito.  It  is  situated  on  the 
river  Curasari,  30  leagues  from  its  mouth,  and  240  from  Quito.  It  was 
founded  in  1665  by  father  Lorenzo  Lucero. 

ABINGAS,  or  WABINGAS,  a  name  for  a  band,  or  sub-tribe  of  the  River 
.  Indians,  of  the  Mohegan,  or  Mohekinder  stock,  who  formerly  inhabited 
the  present  area  of  Dutchess  county,  N.  Y.,  and  some  adjacent  parts  of  the 
eastern  shores  of  the  Hudson,  above  the  Highlands. 


236  ETHNOLOGY. 

ABIPONES,  an  unreclaimed  nation  of  Indians,  who  inhabit  the  south 
shores  of  the  river  Bermejo,  in  the  province  of  Tucuman,  Buenos  Ayres. 
This  nation  is  said,  perhaps  vaguely,  to  have  formerly  numbered  100.000 
souls,  but  was,  at  the  last  accounts,  about  A.D.  1800,  much  reduced. 
They  present  some  peculiar  traits,  living  as  nearly  in  a  state  of  nature  as 
possible.  The  men  go  entirely  naked,  subsisting  themselves  by  hunting 
and  fishing,  and  passing  much  of  their  time  in  idleness  or  war.  The  wo 
men  wear  little  ornamented  skins  called  queyapi.  Physically,  the  people 
are  well  formed,  of  a  lofty  stature  and  bearing,  robust  and  good  featured. 
They  paint  their  bodies  profusely,  and  take  great  pains  to  inspire  hardi 
hood.  For  this  purpose  they  cut  and  scarify  themselves  from  childhood  ; 
they  esteem  tiger's  flesh  one  of  the  greatest  dainties,  believing  its  proper 
ties  to  infuse  strength  and  valor.  In  war  they  are  most  cruel,  sticking 
their  captives  on  the  top  of  high  poles,  \vhere,  exposed  to  the  scorching 
rays  of  the  sun,  they  are  left  to  die  the  most  horrid  death. 

They  have  no  knowledge  of  God,  of  laws,  or  of  policy,  yet  they  believe 
in  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  and  in  a  land  of  future  bliss,  where  dancing 
and  diversions  shall  prevail.  Widows  observe  celibacy  for  a  year,  during 
which  time  they  abstain  from  fish.  The  females  occupy  themselves  in 
sewing  hides,  or  spinning  rude  fabrics.  When  the  men  are  intoxicated — 
a  prevalent  vice — they  conceal  their  husbands'  knives  to  prevent  assassi 
nations.  They  rear  but  two  or  three  children,  killing  all  above  this 
number. 

ABISCA,  an  extensive  mountainous  territory  of  Peru,  lying  between  the 
Yetau  and  Amoramago  rivers,  east  of  the  Andes,  noted  from  the  earliest 
times,  for  the  number  of  barbarous  nations  who  occupy  it.  It  is  a  wild 
and  picturesque  region,  abounding  in  forests,  lakes  and  streams,  and  af 
fording  facilities  for  the  chase,  and  means  of  retreat  from  civilization,  so 
congenial  to  savage  tribes.  An  attempt  to  subjugate  these  fierce  tribes 
made  by  Pedro  de  Andia  in  1538,  failed.  The  same  result  had  attended 
the  efforts  of  the  emperor  Yupanqui. 

ABITANIS,  a  mountain  in  the  province  of  Lipas,  in  Peru.  In  the  Q,uet- 
chuan  tongue,  it  signifies  the  ore  of  gold,  from  a  mine  of  this  metal,  which 
is  now  nearly  abandoned. 

ABITTIBI,  the  name  of  one  of  the  tributaries  of  Moose  River,  of  James' 
Bay,  Canada.  Also  a  small  lake  in  Canada  West,  near  the  settlement  of 
Frederick,  in  north  latitude  48°,  35'  and  west  longitude  82°  :  also,  a  lake 
north  of  lake  Nepissing,  in  the  direction  to  Moose  Fort.  It  is  a  term,  ap 
parently  derived  from  nibee,  water,  and  wab,  light. 

ABITIGAS,  a  fierce  and  warlike  nation  of  Indians,  in  the  province  of 
Tarma  in  Peru,  of  the  original  Gluetche  stock.  They  are  situated  60 
leagues  to  the  east  of  the  Andes.  They  are  barbarians,  roving  from  place 
to  place,  without  habits  of  industry,  and  delighting  in  war.  They  are 
numerous,  as  well  as  warlike  ;  but  like  all  the  non-agricultural  tribes  of 


ETHNOLOGY.  237 

i 

the  region,  they  are  often  in  want  and  wretchedness.  They  are  bounded 
on  the  south  by  their  enemies  the  Ipilcos. 

ABO,  ABOUOR  MICHABO,  or  the  Great  Hare,  a  personage  rather  of  mytholo 
gical,  than  historical  note,  in  the  traditions  of  the  Lake  Algonquin  tribes. 
It  is  not  clear,  although  probable,  that  he  is  to  be  regarded  as  identical 
with  Manabosho,  or  Nanabosho. 

ABOJEEG,  a  celebrated  war  and  hereditary  chief  of  the  Chippewa  nation, 
who  flourished  during  the  last  century;  more  commonly  written  Wabo- 
jeeg,  which  see. 

ABRAHAM,  a  chief  of  the  Mohawks,  who,  after  the  fall  of  king  Hendrick, 
so  called,  at  the  battle  of  lake  George,  in  1755,  between  the  English  and 
French  armies,  became  the  ruling  chief  of  that  nation.  He  was  the 
younger  brother  of  Hendrick,  and  lived  at  the  lower  Mohawk  Castle, 
He  was  of  small  stature,  but  shrewd  and  active,  and  a  fluent  speaker. 
Numbers  of  his..speeches  are  preserved,  which  he  delivered,  as  the  ruling 
chief  of  his  tribe,  in  various  councils,  during  the  stormy  era  of  1775, 
which  eventuated  in  the  American  revolution.  In  the  events  of  that  era, 
his  name  soon  disappears  :  as  he  was  then  a  man  of  advanced  years,  he 
probably  died  at  his  village.  It  is  not  known  that  he  excelled  in  war,  anfl, 
at  all  events,  he  was  succeeded,  about  this  time,  in  fame  and  authority,  by 
a  new  man  in  the  chieftainship,  who  rose  in  the  person  of  Thyendanegea, 
better  known  as  Joseph  Brant.  Abraham,  or  little  Abraham,  as  he  was 
generally  called,  appears  from  his  speeches  and  policy,  to  have  thorough 
ly  adopted  the  sentiments  and  policy  of  Sir  William  Johnson,  of  whom, 
with  his  tribe  generally,  he  was  the  friend  and  admirer.  He  was,  as  his 
speeches  disclose,  pacific  in  his  views,  cautious  in  policy,  and  not  in 
clined,  it  would  seem,  to  rush  headlong  into  the  great  contest,  which  was 
then  brewing,  and  into  which,  his  popular  successor,  Brant,  went  heart 
and  hand.  With  less  fame  than  his  elder  brother  Hendrick,  and  with  no 
warlike  reputation,  yet  without  imputation  upon  his  name,  in  any  way,  he 
deserves  to  be  remembered  as  a  civilian  and  chieftain,  who  bore  a  respect 
able  rank ;  as  one  of  a  proud,  high  spirited,  and  important  tribe.  Little 
Abraham  was  present  at  the  last  and  final  council  of  the  Mohawks,  with 
the  American  Commissioners,  at  Albany,  in  September  1775,  and  spoke  for 
them  on  this  occasion — which  is  believed  to  have  been  the  last  peaceable 
meeting  between  the  Americans  and  the  Mohawk  tribe,  prior  to  the  war. 


[NOTE. — Accents  are  placed  over  all  words  of  North  American  origin,  when  known 
Vowels  preceding  a  consonant,  or  placed  between  two  consonants,  are  generally  short : 
following  a  consonant,  or  ending  a  syllable  or  word,  they  are  generally  long.  Diphthongs 
are  used  with  their  ordinary  power.] 

ABSECON.  A  beach  of  the  sea  coast  of  New  Jersey,  .sixteen  miles  south 
west  of  Little  Egg  Harbor.  The  word  is  a  derivative  from  Wabisee,  a 
Swan,  and  Ong,  a  Place. 

ABSOROKA,  a  name  for  the  Minnetaree  tribe  of  Indians  on  the  river  Mis 
souri.  They  are  philologically  of  the  Dacotah  family.  See  Minnetaree. 

ABUCEES,  a  mission  of  the  Sucumbias  Indians,  in  the  province  of  Gluixos, 
Gluito,  which  was  founded  by  the  order  of  Jesuits.  It  is  situated  on  the 
shores  of  a  small  river,  which  enters  the  Putumago,  in  north  latitude  0° 
36'  longitude  79°  2'  west. 

ABURRA,  a  town,  in  a  rich  valley  of  the  same  name,  in  New  Grenada, 
discovered  in  1540,  by  Robledo.  In  its  vicinity  are  found  many  huacas, 
or  sepulchres  of  the  Indians,  in  which  great  riches,  such  as  gold  ornaments, 
are  found  deposited.  There  are,  in  the  vicinity,  some  streams  of  saline 
water,  from  which  the  Indians  manufacture  salt. 

ABWOIN,  or  BWOIN,  a  name  of  the  Chippewas,  Ottawas,  and  other  mod 
ern  Algonquin  tribes  of  the  upper  Lakes,  for  the  Dacotah  or  Sioux  na 
tion.  It  is  rendered  plural  in  ug.  The  word  is  derived  from  abwai,  a 
stick  used  to  roast  meat,  and  is  said  to  have  been  given  to  this  tribe,  in  re 
proach  from  the  ancient  barbarities  practised  towards  their  prisoners  taken 
captive  in  war.  For  an  account  of  this  tribe,  see  Dacotah  and  Sioux. 

ABWOINAC  ;  ABWOINA  :  Terms  applied  to  the  general  area  between  the 
Mississippi  and  Missouri,  lying  north  of  the  St.  Peter's,  occupied  by  Sioux 
tribes.  In  the  earlier  attempts  of  Lord  Selkirk,  to  plant  a  colony  in  parts 
of  this  region,  the  compound  term  Assinaboina,  was,  to  some  extent,  but 
unsuccessfully  employed.  The  two  former  terms  are  derivatives  from 
Abwoin,  a  Sioux,  and  akee,  earth ;  the  latter  has  the  prefix  assin,  (ossin,) 
a  stone. 

ACAQUATO,  a  settlement  of  Indians  in  the  district  of  Tancitars,  in  Peru, 
reduced  in  1788,  to  fifteen  families,  who  cultivated  maize  and  vegetables. 

ACAMBAKO,  a  settlement  of  490  families  of  Indians,  and  80  of  Mustees, 

238 


ETHNOLOGY.  239 

belonging  to  the  order  of  St.  Francis,  in  the  district  of  Zelaya,  in  the 
province  and  bishopric  of  Mechoacan,  seven  leagues  S.  of  its  capital. 

ACAMISTLAHUAC,  3.  settlement  of  30  Indian  families  in  the  district  of  Tas 
co,  attached  to  the  curacy  of  its  capital,  from  whence  it  is  two  leagues  E. 
N.  E. 

ACHAMUCHITLAN,  a  settlement  of  60  families  of  Indians  in  the  district  of 
Texopilco,  and  civil  division  of  Zultepec.  They  sell  sugar  and  honey— 
the  district  also  produces  maize  and  vegetables.  It  is  5  leagues  N.  of  its 
head  settlement. 

ACANTEPEC.  The  head  settlement  of  Tlapa,  embracing  92  Indian  fami 
lies,  including  another  small  settlement  in  its  vicinity,  all  of  whom  main- 
tain  themselves  by  manufacturing  cotton  stuffs. 

ACAPETLAHUALA,  a  settlement  of  180  Indian  families,  being  the  principal 
settlement  of  the  district  of  Escateopan,  and  civil  district  of  Zaquaepa. 

ACARI,  a  settlement  in  a  beautiful  and  extensive  valley  of  Camana,  in 
Peru,  noted  for  a  lofty  mountain  called  Sahuacario,  on  the  skirts  of  which 
the  native  Indians  had  constructed  two  fortresses,  prior  to  their  subjuga 
tion  by  the  Spanish.  «This  mountain  is  composed  of  "  misshapen  stones, 
and  sand,"  and  is  reported,  at  certain  times  of  the  year  to  emit  loud 
sounds,  as  if  proceeding  from  pent  up  air,  and  it  is  thought  to  have,  in 
consequence,  attracted  the  superstitious  regard  of  the  ancient  Indian  inhab 
itants. 

ACATEPEC.  There  are  five  Indian  settlements  of  this  name,  in  Spanish 
Ajnerica. 

1.  A  settlement  comprising  860  Indian  families,  of  the  order  of  St. 
Francis,  in  the  district  of  Thehuacan.     Forty  of  these  families  live  on 
cultivated  estates  stretching  a  league  in  a  spacious  valley,  four  leagues  S. 
S.  W.  of  the  capital. 

2.  A  settlement  in  the  district  of  Chinantla,  in  the  civil  jurisdiction  of 
Cogamaloapan.      It  is  situated  in  a  pleasant  plain,  surrounded  by  three 
lofty  mountains.     The  number  of  its  inhabitants  is  reduced.     The  In 
dians  who  live  on  the  banks  of  a  broad  and  rapid  river,  which  intercepts 
the   great  road  to  the  city  of  Oxaca,  and   other   jurisdictions,  support 
themselves  by  ferrying  over  passengers  in  their  barks  and  canoes.     It 
is  10  leagues  W.  of  its  head  settlement. 

3.  A  settlement  of  100  Indian  families,  in  the  same  kingdom,  situated  be 
tween  two  high  ridges.     They  are  annexed  to  the  curacy  of  San  Lorenzo, 
two  leagues  off. 

4.  A  settlement  of  39  Indian  families  annexed  to,  and  distant  one  league 
and  a  half  N.  of  the  curacy  of  Tlacobula.     It  is  in  a  hot  valley,  skirted  by 
a  river,  which  is  made  to  irrigate  the  gardens  and  grounds  on  its  borders. 

5  A  settlement  of  12  Indian  families  in  the  may  orate  of  Xicayim  of  the 
same  kingdom. 

ACATEPEQUE,  ST.  FRANCISCO,  DE}  a  settlement  of  140  Indian  families  in 


240  ETHNOLOGY. 

the  mayorate  of  St.  Andres  de  Cholula,  situated  half  a  league  S.  of  its 
capital. 

ACATLAN,  six  locations  of  Indians  exist,  under  this  name,  in  Mexico. 

1.  A  settlement  of  850  families  of  Indians  in  the  alcaldia  of  this  name, 
embracing  some  20  Spaniards  and  Mustees.     In  the  vicinity  are  some  ex- 
cellent  salt  grounds.     The  climate  is  of  a  mild  temperature,  and  the 
surrounding  country  is  fertile,  abounding  in  fruits,  flowers,  and  pulse,  and 
is  well  watered.     It  is  55  leagues  ,E.  S.  K  of  Mexico. 

2.  A  settlement  of  180  Indian  families  in  Xalapa  of  the  same  kingdom, 
(now  republic.)     It  occupies  a  spot  of  clayey  ground  of  a  cold  moist  tem 
perature,  in  consequence  of  which,  and  its  being  subject  to   N.  winds, 
fruits,  in  this  neighbourhood,  do  not  ripen.     Other  branches  of  cultiva 
tion  succeed  from  the  abundance  of  streams  of  water,  and  their  fertili 
zing  effects  on  the  soil.     This  settlement  has  the  dedicatory  title  of  St. 
Andres. 

3.  SAN  PEDRO,  in  the  district  of  Malacatepec,  and  alcaldia  of  Nexapa. 
It  contains  80  Indian  families,  who  trade  in  wool,  and  the  fish  called  bobo, 
which  are  caught,  in  large  quantities,  in  a  considerable  river  of  the  dis 
trict. 

4.  ZITLALA.     It  consists  of  198  Indian  families,  and  is  a  league  and  a 
half  N.  of  its  head  settlement  of  this  name. 

5.  SENTEPEC,  a  settlement  15  leagues  N.  E.  of  its  capital.     The  tempe 
rature  is  cold.     It  has  42  Indian  families. 

6.  ATOTONILCO,  in  the  alcaldia  mayor  of  Tulanzingo.      It  contains  115 
Indian  families,  and  has  a  convent  of  the  religious  order  of  St.  Augus 
tine.     It  is  2  leagues  N.  of  its  head  settlement. 

ACATLANZINGO,  a  settlement  of  67  Indian  families  of  Xicula  of  the  al- 
cadia  mayor  of  Nexapa,  who  employ  themselves  in  the  culture  of  cochi 
neal  plants.  It  lies  in  a  plain,  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  mountains. 

ACAXEE,  a  nation  of  Indians  in  the  province  of  Topia.  They  are  re 
presented  to  have  been  converted  to  the  catholic  faith  by  the  society  of 
Jesuits  in  1602.  They  are  docile  and  of  good  dispositions  and  abilities. 
One  of  their  ancient  customs  consisted  of  bending  the  heads  of  their  dead 
to  their  knees,  and  in  this  posture,  putting  them  in  caves,  or  under  a  rock 
and  at  the  same  time,  depositing  a  quantity  of  food  for  their  supposed 
journey  in  another  state.  They  also  exhibited  a  farther  coincidence  with 
the  customs  of  the  northern  Indians,  by  placing  a  bow  and  arrows  with 
the  body  of  the  dead  warrior,  for  his  defence.  Should  an  Indian  woman 
happen  to  die  in  child-bed,  they  put  the  surviving  infant  to  death,  as  hav 
ing  been  the  cause  of  its  mother's  decease.  This  tribe  rebelled  against  the 
Spanish  in  1612,  under  the  influence  of  a  native  prophet,  but  they  were 
subdued  by  the  governor  of  the  province,  Don  Francisco  de  Ordinola. 

ACAXETE,  Santa  Maria  de,  the  head  settlement  of  the  district  of  Tepcaca, 
on  the  slope  of  the  sierra  of  Tlascala.  It  COK  sists  of  1 76  Mexican  Indians, 


ETHNOLOGY.  241 

7  Spanish  families,  and  10  Mustees  and  Mulatoes.  In  its  vicinity  there 
is  a  reservoir  of  hewn  stone,  to  catch  the  waters  of  the  mountain,  which 
are  thence  conducted  to  Tepcaca,  three  leagues  N.  N.  W. 

ACAXUCHITLAN,  a  curacy  consisting  of  406  Indian  families  of  the 
bishopric  of  La  Peubla  de  los  Angelos.  It  is  in  the  alcaldia  of  Tulanzingo, 
lying  4  leagues  E.  of  its  capital. 

ACAYUCA,  the  capital  of  a  civil  division  of  New  Spain,  in  the  province 
of  Goazacoalco,  embracing,  in  its  population,  296  families  of  Indians,  30 
of  Spaniards,  and  70  of  mixed  bloods.  It  lies  a  little  over  100  leagues  S. 
E.  of  Mexico,  in  lat.  17°  53'  N. 

ACAZINGO,  St.  Juan  de,  a  settlement  of  the  district  of  Tepcaca,  consist 
ing  of  700  families  of  Indians,  150  of  Spaniards,  104  of  Mustees,  and 
31  of  Mulatoes.  It  is  situated  in  a  plain  of  mild  temperature,  well 
watered,  and  has  a  convent  and  fountain,  and  a  number  of  "  very  ancient 
buildings." 

Acc6cESAWs,  a  tribe  of  Indians  of  erratic  habits,  of  Texas,  whose  prin 
cipal  location  was  formerly  on  the  west  side  of  the  Colorado,  about  200  miles 
S.  W.  of  Nacogdoches.  At  a  remoter  period  they  lived  near  the  gulf  of 
Mexico :  they  made  great  use  of  fish,  and  oysters.  Authors  represent  the 
country  occupied,  or  traversed  by  them,  as  exceedingly  fertile  and  beautiful, 
and  abounding  in  deer  of  the  finest  and  largest  kind.  Their  language  is 
said  to  be  peculiar  to  themselves ;  they  are  expert  in  communicating  ideas  by 
the  system  of  signs.  About  A.  D.  1750  the  Spanish  had  a  mission  among 
them,  but  removed  it  to  Nacogdoches. 

ACCOMAC,  a  county  of  Virginia,  lying  on  the  eastern  shores  of  Chesa- 
peak  bay.  This  part  of  the  sea  coast  was  inhabited  by  the  Nanticokes, 
who  have  left  their  names  in  its  geography.  We  have  but  a  partial  vo 
cabulary  of  this  tribe,  which  is  now  extinct.  It  has  strong  analogies, 
however,  to  other  Algonquin  dialects.  Aco,  in  these  dialects,  is  a  generic 
term,  to  denote  a  goal,  limit,  or  fixed  boundary.  Ahkee,  in  the  Nanticoke, 
is  the  term  for  earth,  or  land.  Auk,  is  a  term,  in  compound  words  of 
these  dialects,  denoting  wood.  The  meaning  of  accomac,  appears  to  be 
as  far  as  the  woods  reach,  or,  the  boundary  between  meadow  and  wood 
lands. 

ACTCOMACS,  one  of  the  sub  tribes  inhabiting  the  boundaries  of  Virginia 
on  its  discovery  and  first  settlement.  Mr.  Jefferson  states  their  numbers 
in  1607  at  80.  In  1669,  when  the  legislature  of  Virginia  directed  a  cen 
sus  of  the  Indian  population,  within  her  jurisdiction,  there  appears  no  no 
tice  of  this  tribe.  They  inhabited  the  area  of  Northampton  county.  They 
were  Nanticokes — a  people  whose  remains  united  themselves  or  at 
least  took  shelter  with  the  Lenapees,  or  Delawares. 

ACCOHANOCS,  a  division  or  tribe  of  the  Powhetanic  Indians,  numbering 
40,  in  1607.  They  lived  on  the  Accohanoc  river,  in  eastern  Virginia. 

16 


242  ETHNOLOGY. 

ACCOMENTAS,  a  oand,  or  division  of  the  Pawtucket  Indians  inhabiting 
the  northerly  part  of  Massachusetts  in  1674.  (Gookin.) 

ACHAGUA,  a  nation  of  Indians  of  New  Grenada,  dwelling  in  the  plaint 
of  Gazanare  ancLMeta,  and  in  the  woods  of  the  river  Ele.  They  are  bold 
and  dexterous  hunters  with  the  dart  and  spear,  and  in  their  contests  with 
their  enemies,  they  poison  their  weapons.  They  are  fond  of  horses,  and 
rub  their  bodies  with  oil,  to  make  their  hair  shine.  They  go  naked 
except  a  small  azeaun  made  of  the  fibres  of  the  aloe.  They  anoint  their 
children  with  a  bituminous  ointment  at  their  birth,  to  prevent  the  growth 
of  hair.  The  brows  of  females  are  also  deprived  of  hair,  and  immediately 
rubbed  with  the  juice  ofjagua,  which  renders  them  bald  ever  after.  They 
are  of  a  gentle  disposition  but  addicted  to  intoxication.  The  Jesuits  for 
merly  reduced  many  of  them  to  the  Catholic  faith,  and  formed  them  into 
settlements  in  1661. 

ACHAFALAYA,  the  principal  western  outlet  of  the  Mississippi  river.  It  is 
a  Choctaw  word,  meaning,  "  the  long  river,"  from  hucha}  river,  zndfalaya, 
long.  (Gallatin.) 

ACKOWAYS,  a  synonym  for  a  band  of  Indians  of  New  France,  now 
Canada.  See  Acouez. 

ACKEEKSEEBE,  a  remote  northern  tributary  of  the  stream  called  Rum 
river,  which  enters  the  Mississippi,  some  few  miles  above  the  falls  of  St. 
Anthony,  on  its  left  banks.  It  is  a  compound  phrase,  from  Akeek,  a 
kettle,  and  seebe,  a  stream.  It  was  on  the  margin  of  this  stream,  in  a 
wide  and  spacious  area,  interspersed  with  beaver  ponds,  that  a  detachment 
of  Gen.  Cass's  exploring  party  in  July  1820,  encamped  ;  and  the  next 
morning  discovered  an  Indian  pictorial  letter,  written  on  bark,  detailing 
the  incidents  of  the  march. 

ACKEEKO,  or  the  Kettle  chief,  a  leading  Sauc  chief  who  exercised  his 
authority  in  1820,  at  an  important  Indian  village,  situated  on  the  right 
banks  of  the  Mississippi,  at  Dubuque's  mines. 

ACHQUANCHICOLA,  the  name  of  a  creek  in  Pennsylvania  ;  it  signifies  in 
the  Delaware  or  Lenapee  language,  as  given  by  Heckewelder,  the  brush- 
net  fishing  creek. 

ACHWICK,  a  small  stream  in  central  Pennsylvania.  It  denotes  in  the 
Delaware  language,  according  to  Heckewelder,  brushy,  or  difficult  to 


ACOBAMBA,  a  settlement  in  the  province  of  Angaraes  in  Peru,  near 
which  are  some  monumental  remains  of  the  ancient  race,  who  inhabited 
the  country  prior  to  its  conquest  by  the  Spanish.  They  consist,  chiefly3 
of  a  pyramid  of  stones,  and  the  ruins  of  some  well  sculptured  stone  couches, 
or  benches,  now  much  injured  by  time. 

ACOLMAN,  San  Augustin  de,  a  settlement  of  240  families  of  Indians  of 
Tezcoco  in  Mexico.  It  is  situated  in  a  pleasant  valley,  with  a  benign  tem 
perature,  and  has  a  convent  of  Augustine  monks. 


ETHNOLOGY.  243 

ACOMES,  a  fall  in  the  river  Amariscoggin,  Maine,  denoting,  in  the  Indian, 
RS  is  supposed,  a  rest,  or  place  of  stopping.  From  aco,  a  bound  or  point. 

AC-OMULCO,  a  village  of  12  Indian  families  in  Zochicoatlan,  New  Spain, 
two  leagues  W.  of  its  capital. 

ACONICHI,  the  name  of  a  settlement  of  Indians  formerly  living  on  the 
river  Eno,  in  North  Carolina. 

ACOTITLAN,  a  settlement  of  15  Indian  families,  in  the  alcaldia  of  Autlan, 
Mexico.  They  employ  themselves  in  raising  cattle,  making  sugar  and 
honey,  and  extracting  oil  from  the  cacao  fruit. 

ACOUEZ,  a  name  formerly  applied  by  the  French  to  a  band  of  Indians 
in  New  France.  Believed  to  be  identical  with  Ackoways. 

ACQUACKINAC,  or  AcQUACKiNUNK,  the  Indian  name  of  a  town  on  the  W. 
side  of  the  Passaic  river,  New  Jersey,  ten  miles  N.  of  Newark  and  17 
from  New  York.  From  aco,  a  limit,  misquak,  a  red  cedar,  and  auk,  a 
stump  or  trunk  of  a  tree. 

ACQUINOSHIONEE,  or  United  People,  the  vernacular  name  of  the  Iroquois 
for  their  confederacy.  It  appears,  from  their  traditions,  communicated  to  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Pyrlaus,  a  Dutch  missionary  of  early  date,  that  this  term  had 
not  been  in  use  above  50  years  prior  to  the  first  settlement  of  the  country : 
and  if  so,  we  have  a  late  date,  not  more  remote  than  1559  for  the  origin 
of  this  celebrated  union.  But  this  may  be  doubted.  Carder  discovered 
the  St.  Lawrence  in  1534,  and  found  them  at  the  site  of  Montreal ;  Verri- 
zani,  is  said  to  have  entered  the  bay  of  New  York  ten  years  before.  Hud 
son  entered  the  river  in  1609.  Jamestown  was  founded  the  year  before. 
The  Pilgrims  landed  at  Plymouth  14  years  later.  It  is  more  probable 
that  the  50  years  should  be  taken  from  the  period  of  the  earlier  attempts 
of  the  French  settlements,  which  would  place  the  origin  of  the  confederacy 
about  A.  D.  1500.  (See  Iroquois.) 

ACTOPAN,  or  OCTTJPAN,  a  town  and  settlement  of  the  Othomies  Indians, 
situated  23  leagues  N.  N.  E.  of  Mexico.  Its  population  is  put  by  Alcedo 
in  1787,  at  2750  families.  These  are  divided  into  two  parties,  separated 
by  the  church.  It  also  contains  50  families  of  Spaniards,  Mustees,  and 
i  Mulatoes.  The  temperature  is  mild,  but  the  ground  is  infested  with  the 
cactus,  thorns  and  teasel,  which  leads  the  inhabitants  to  devote  their  atten 
tion  to  the  raising  of  sheep  and  goats.  In  this  vicinity  are  found  numbers 
of  the  singular  bird,  called  zenzontla  by  the  Mexican  Indians. 

ACTUPAN,  a  settlement  of  210  families  of  Indians  in  the  district  of  Xoci- 
milco,  Mexico. 

ACUIAPAN,  a  settlement  of  58  Indian  families,  in  the  alcaldia  mayor  of 
Zultepec,  annexed  to  the  curacy  of  Temascaltepec.  They  live  by  dress- 
iing  hides  for  the  market — ib. 

ACUILPA,  a  settlement  of  92  Indian  families,  in  the  magistracy  of  Tlapa, 
Vlexico.  It  is  of  a  hot  and  moist  temperature,  yielding  grain,  and  the 
vhite  medicinal  earth  called  chia^  in  which  they  carry  on  a  trade. 


244  ETHNOLOGY. 

Acuio,  a  considerable  settlement  of  Spaniards,  Mustees,  Mulatoes,  and 
Negroes,  30  leagues  W.  of  Cinaqua,  in  the  curacy  of  Tauricato,  Mexico ; 
embracing  9  Indian  families. 

ACULA,  SAN  PEDRO  DE,  an  Indian  settlement  of  305  families,  four 
leagues  E.  of  Cozamaloapan,  its  capital.  It  is  situated  on  a  high  hill, 
bounded  by  a  large  lake  of  the  most  salubrious  water,  called  Peutla  by  the 
natives.  This  lake  has  its  outlet  into  the  sea  through  the  sand  banks  of 
Alvarado,  and  the  lake  is  subject  to  overflow  its  banks  in  the  winter  season. 

ACUTITLAN,  an  Indian  settlement  of  45  families,  in  the  district  of 
Tepuxilco,  Mexico,  who  trade  in  sugar,  honey,  and  maize.  It  is.five 
leagues  N.  E.  of  Zultepec,  and  a  quarter  of  a  league  from  Acamuchitlan. 

ACUTZIO,  an  Indian  settlement  of  Tiripitio,  in  the  magistracy  of  Valla- 
dolid,  and  bishopric  of  Mechoacan,  Mexico.  It  contains  136  Indian 
families,  and  1 1  families  of  Spaniards  and  Mustees.  Six  cultivated  estate.' 
in  this  district,  producing  wheat,  maize,  and  other  grains,  employ  most  o' 
this  population,  who  also  devote  part  of  their  labour  to  the  care  of  largi 
and  small  cattle. 

ADAES,  or  ADAIZE,  a  tribe  of  Indians,  who  formerly  lived  forty  mile] 
south  west  from  Natchitoches,  in  the  area  of  country,  which  now  const 
tutes  a  part  of  the  republic  of  Texas.     They  were  located  on  a  lak 
which  communicates  with  the  branch  of  Red-river  passing  Bayou  Pier 
This  tribe  appears  to  have  lived  at  that  spot,  from  an  early  period.     Th 
language  is  stated  to  be  difficult  of  acquisition,  and  different  from 
others,  in  their  vicinity.    They  were  at  variance  with  the  ancient  Natch 
and  joined  the  French  in  their  assault  upon  them  in  1798.     They  we 
intimate  with  the  Caddoes,  and  spoke  their  language.     At  the  last  dat 
(1812)  they  were  reduced  to  twenty  men,  with  a  disproportionate  numl 
of  women.    The  synonyms  for  this  now  extinct  tribe  are,  Adayes  ;  Ade» 
Adaes;  Adaize. 

ADARIO,  a  celebrated  chief  of  the  Wyandot  nation,  who  was  at  '> 
height  of  his  usefulness  and  reputation,  about  1690.  He  was  able  in  i 
councils  of  his  tribe,  shrewd  and  wily  in  his  plans,  and  firm  and  coura  • 
ous  in  their  execution.  The  Wyandots,  or  Hurons  as  they  are  called  ? 
the  French,  were  then  living  at  Michilimackinac,  to  which  quarter  t)r 
had  been  driven  by  well  known  events  in  their  history.  The  feud  •!• 
tween  them  and  their  kindred,  the  Iroquois,  stil!  raged.  They  remai.d 
the  firm  allies  of  the  French ;  but  they  were  living  in  a  state  of  expi 
ation  from  their  own  country,  and  dependant  on  the  friendship  and  cf' 
tesy  of  the  Algonquins  of  the  upper  lakes,  among  whom  they  had  fci<J 
a  refuge.  Adario,  at  this  period,  found  an  opportunity  of  making.)11 
self  felt,  and  striking  a  blow  for  the  eventual  return  of  his  nation. 

To  understand  his  position,  a  few  allusions  to  the  history  of  the  pc)(i 
are  necessary. 

In  1687,  the  English  of  the  province  of  New- York,  resolved  to  *» 


ETHNOLOGY.  245 

themselves  of  a  recent  alliance  between  the  two  crowns,  to  attempt  a  par 
ticipation  in  the  fur  trade  of  the  upper  lakes.  They  persuaded  the  Iro- 
quois  to  set  free  a  number  of  Wyandot  captives  to  guide  them  through  the 
lakes,  and  open  an  intercourse  with  their  people.  Owing  to  the  high 
price  and  scarcity  of  goods,  this  plan  was  favored  by  Adario  and  his  peo 
ple,  and  also  by  the  Ottowas  and  Pottowattomis,  but  the  enterprise  failed. 
Major  McGregory,  who  led  the  party,  was  intercepted  by  a  large  body 
of  French  from  Maekinac,  the  whole  party  captured  and  their  goods  were 
distributed  gratuitously  to  the  Indians.  The  lake  Indians,  who  had,  co 
vertly  countenanced  this  attempt,  were  thrown  back  entirely  on  the  French 
trade,  and  subjected  to  suspicions  which  made  them  uneasy  in  their  coun 
cils,  and  anxious  to  do  away  with  the  suspicions  entertained  of  their  fidel 
ity  by  the  French.  To  this  end  Adario  marched  a  party  of  100  men 
from  Maekinac  against  the  Iroquois.  Stopping  at  fort  Cadarackui  to  get 
some  intelligence  which  might  guide  him,  the  commandant  informed  him 
that  the  governor  of  Canada,  Denonville,  was  in  hopes  of  concluding  a 
peace  with  the  Five  Nations,  and  expected  their  ambassadors  at  Montreal  in 
a  few  days.  He  therefore  advised  the  chief  to  return.  Did  such  a  peace 
take  place,  Adario  perceived  that  it  would  leave  the  Iroquois  to  push  the 
war  against  his  nation,  which  had  already  been  driven  from  the  banks  of 
the  St.  Lawrence  to  lake  Huron.  He  dissembled  his  fears,  however,  be 
fore  the  commandant,  and  left  the  fort,  not  for  the  purpose  of  returning 
home,  but  to  waylay  the  Iroquois  delegates,  at  a  portage  on  the  river  where 
he  knew  they  must  pass.  He  did  not  wait  over  four  or  five  days,  when 
the  deputies  arrived,  guarded  by  40  young  warriors,  who  were  all  sur 
prised,  and  either  killed  or  taken  prisoners.  His  next  object  was  to  shift 
the  blame  of  the  act  on  the  governor  of  Canada,  by  whom  he  told  his  pri 
soners,  he  had  been  informed  of  their  intention  to  pass  this  way,  and  he 
was  thus  prepared  to  lie  in  wait  for  them.  They  were  much  surprised  at 
this  apparent  act  of  perfidy,  informing  him  at  the  same  time,  that  they 
were  truly  and  indeed  on  a  message  of  peace.  Adario  affected  to  grow 
mad  with  rage  against  Denonville,  declaring  that  he  would  some  time  be 
revenged  on  him  for  making  him  a  tool,  in  committing  so  horrid  a  trea 
chery.  Then  looking  steadfastly  on  the  prisoners,  among  whom  was 
Oekanefora,  the  head  chief  of  the  Onondaga  tribe,  "  Go,"  said  he,  "  my 
Mothers,  I  untie  your  bonds,  and  send  you  home  again,  although  our 
nations  be  at  war.  The  French  governor  has  made  me  commit  so  blacic 
an  action,  that  I  shall  never  be  easy  after  it,  until  the  Five  Nations  have 
taken  full,  revenge."  The  ambassadors  were  so  well  persuaded  of  the 
perfect  truth  of  his  declarations,  that  they  replied  in  the  most  friendly 
terms,  and  said  the  way  was  opened  to  their  concluding  a  peace  between 
their  respective  tribes,  at  any  time.  He  then  dismissed  his  prisoners,  with 
presents  of  arms,  powder  and  ball,  keeping  but  a  single  man  (an  adopted 
Slr.awnee)  to  supply  the  place  of  the  only  man  he  had  lost  in  the  engage- 


246  ETHNOLOGY. 

ment.  By  one  bold  effort  he  thus  blew  up  the  fire  of  discord  between  the 
French  and  their  enemies,  at  the  moment  it  was  about  to  expire,  and  laid 
the  foundation  of  a  peace  with  his  own  nation.  Adario  delivered  his 
slave  to  the  French  on  reaching  Mackinac,  who,  to  keep  up  the  old  en 
mity  between  the  Wyandots  and  the  Five  Nations,  ordered  him  to  be  shot. 
On  this  Adario  called  up  an  Iroquois  prisoner  who  was  a  witness  of  this 
scene,  and  who  had  long  been  detained  among  them,  and  told  him  to  es 
cape  to  his  own  country,  and  give  an  account  of  the  cruelty  of  the 
French,  from  whom  it  was  not  in  his  power  to  save  a  prisoner  he  had 
hims-elf  taken. 

This  increased  the  rage  of  the  Five  Nations  to  such  a  pitch,  that  when 
Mons.  Denonville  sent  a  message  to  disown  the  act  of  Adario,  they  put  no 
faith  in  it,  but  burned  for  revenge.  Nor  was  it  long  before  the  French 
felt  the  effects  of  their  rage.  On  the  26th  of  July,  1688,  they  landed  with 
1200  men  on  the  upper  end  of  the  island  of  Montreal,  and  carried  des 
truction  wherever  they  went.  Houses  were  burnt,  plantations  sacked,  and 
men,  women  and  children  massacred.  Above  a  thousand  of  the  French 
inhabitants  were  killed,  and  twenty-six  carried  away  prisoners,  most  of 
whom  were  burnt  alive.  In  October  of  the  same  year,  they  renewed  their 
incursion,  sweeping  over  the  lower  part  of  the  island  as  they  had  previ 
ously  done  the  upper.  The  consequences  of  these  inroads  were  most  dis 
astrous  to  the  French,  who  were  reduced  to  the  lowest  point  of  political 
despondency.  They  burnt  their  two  vessels  on  Cadarackui  lake,  aban 
doned  the  fort,  and  returned  to  Montreal.  The  news  spread  far  and  wide 
among  the  Indians  of  the  upper  lakes,  who,  seeing  the  fortunes  of  the 
French  an  the  wane,  made  treaties  with  the  English,  and  thus  opened  the 
way  for  their  merchandise  into  the  lakes. — [Golden.] 

Such  were  the  consequences  of  a  single  enterprise,  shrewdly  planned 
and  vigorously  executed.  The  fame  of  its  author  spread  abroad,  and  he 
was  every  where  regarded  as  a  man  of  address,  courage  and  abilities. 
And  it  is  from  this  time,  that  the  ancient  feud  between  the  Wyandots  and 
their  kindred,  the  Five  Nations,  began  to  cool.  They  settled  on  the  straits 
of  Detroit,  where  they  so  long,  and  up  to  the  close  of  the  late  war  (1814,) 
exercised  a  commanding  influence  among  the  lake  tribes,  as  keepers  of  the 
general  council  fire  of  the  nations. 

La  Hontan,  in  his  Travels  in  New  France,  relates  some  conversations 
with  this  chief,  on  the  topic  of  religion,  which  may  be  regarded,  almost 
exclusively,  as  fabulous. 

ABATES,  ADAES,  and  ADEES,  forms  of  orthography,  occurring  in  various 
writers,  for  the  Adaize  Indians,  which  see. 

ADEQUATANGIE,  a  tributary  of  the  eastern  head  waters  of  the  river  Sus- 
quehanna  in  New- York.  The  word  is  Iroquois. 

ABDEES,  the  number  of  fhis  tribe,  residing  on  the  waters  of  Red  River, 


ETHNOLOGY.  247 

in  Louisiana,  in  1 825,  is  stated,  in  an  official  report,  from  the  war  depart 
ment  of  that  year,  at  twenty-seven. 

ADOLES,  a  settlement  of  Indians  in  the  province  of  Orinoco.  They 
were  of  the  Saliva  nation.  The  settlement  was  destroyed  by  the  Caribs 
in  1684. 

ADIRONDACK^  the  name  of  the  Troquois  tribes  for  the  Algonquins.  The 
consideration  of  their  history  and  characteristics,  as  a  family  of  tribes,  will 
be  taken  up,  under  the  latter  term. 

ADIRONDACK  MOUNTAINS,  a  name  bestowed,  in  the  geological  survey  of 
New  York,  upon  the  mountains  at  the  source  of  the  Hudson  River. 
ADIK,  IA-BA.     See  laba  Wadik. 

ADIKIMINIS,  or  Cariboo  Island  ;  an  island  situated  in  the  north  eastern 
part  of  lake  Superior,  which  is  invested  with  no  other  importance  than  it 
derives  from  Indian  mythology  and  superstition.  It  is  small  and  has  sel 
dom  been  visited.  The  Chippewas  believe  that  this  is  one  of  the  places 
of  residence  of  their  local  manitoes,  and  that  it  was  formerly  inhabited  by 
Michabo  or  Manabosho.  Early  travellers,  who  notice  this  belief,  repre 
sent  its  shores  to  be  covered  with  golden  sands,  but  that  these  sands  are 
guarded  by  powerful  spirits,  who  will  not  permit  the  treasure  to  be  carried 
away.  Many  fanciful  tales  are  told  of  its  having  been  once  attempted, 
when  a  huge  spirit  strode  into  the  water,  and  reclaimed  the  shining  trea 
sure.  This  is  Carver's  version,  who,  however,  confounds  it  with  another 
contiguous  island.  Henry,  who  visited  it  in  his  search  after  silver  mines, 
in  1765,  says  that  the  Indians  told  him  that  their  ancestors  had"  once 
landed  there,  being  driven  by  stress  of  weather,  but  had  great  difficulty 
in  escaping  from  the  power  of  enormous  snakes.  He  calls  it  the  Island 
of  Yellow  Sands.  It  abounded  certainly  with  hawks  in  his  day,  one  of 
whom  was  so  bold  as  to  pluck  his  cap  from  his  head.  He  found  nothing 
to  reward  his  search  but  a  number  of  Cariboos,  which  is  the  American 
reindeer,  of  which  no  less  than  13  were  killed,  during  his  stay  of  three 
days.  He  represented  it  to  be  12  miles  in  circumference,  low,  and  covered 
with  ponds,  and  to  be  sixty  miles  distant  from  the  north  shore  of  the  lake. 
He  thinks  it  is  perhaps  the  same  island  which  the  French  called  Isle  de 
Pont  char  train. 

AFFAGOULA,  a  small  village  of  Indians,  of  Louisiana,  who  were  located 
in  1783  near  Point  Coupe,  on  the  Mississippi. 

AGACES,  a  nation  of  Indians  of  the  province  of  Paraguay.  They  are 
numerous,  valiant,  and  of  a  lofty  stature.  They  were,  in  ancient  times, 
masters  of  the  banks  of  the  Paraguay,  waging  war  against  the  Guavanies, 
and  keeping  the  Spaniards  at  bay,  but  were  at  last  subjugated  in  1542,  by 
Alvar  Nunez  Cabeza  de  Vaca,  governor  of  the  province. 

AGARIATA,  an  Iroquois  chief,  who,  having  gone  on  an  embassy  of  peace 
about  1688,  to  Canada,  the  governor,  Monsieur  Coursel,  being  exaspe- 


248  ETHNOLOGY. 

rated  against  him,  on  account  of  bad  faith  and  a  violation  of  a  treaty,  caused 
him  to  be  hanged  in  the  presence  of  his  countrymen. 

AGAMENTIGUS,  a  mountain  of  considerable  elevation,  eight  miles  from 
York  harbour,  Maine;  also,  a  river  of  the  same  vicinity,  which  derives 
its  waters  chiefly  from  the  influx  of  Piscataqua  bay.  The  termination 
of  the  name  in  us,  is  foreign,  and  not  in  accordance  with  the  Abenakie 
dialects  of  this  coast. 

AGAMUNTIC,  the  name  of  a  small  lake,  or  pond,  of  Maine,  which  dis 
charges  its  waters  through  the  west  branch  of  the  Chaudiere  river. 

AGAWAMS,  a  band  of  Indians  of  the  Pokenoket,  or  Wampanoag  type, 
who  formerly  lived  at  various  periods,  in  part  in  Sandwich,  in  part  in 
Ipswich,  and  in  part  in  Springfield,  Massachusets.  The  word  is  written 
with  some  variety,  in  old  authors,  the  chief  of  which,  are,  the  addition  of 
another  g,  and  the  change  of  the  penultimate  a  to  o. 

AGIOCOCHOOK,  a  name  of  the  Indians,  for  the  White  Mountains  of  New- 
Hampshire  ;  of  which  the  penultimate  ok,  is  the  plural.  This  group  is 
also  called,  according  to  President  Allen,  Waumbek — a  word,  which  in 
some  of  the  existing  dialects  of  the  Algonquin,  is  pronounced  Waubik, 
that  is,  White  Rock. 

AGNALOS,  a  tribe  of  infidel  Indians,  inhabiting  the  mountains  north  of 
the  river  Apure,  in  New  Grenada. 

AGRIAS,  a  tribe  of  Indians,  formerly  very  numerous,  of  the  govern 
ment  of  Santa  Marta,  to  the  north  of  the  Cienegra  Grande.  They  are,  at 
present,  considerably  reduced. 

AGITA  DE  CULEBRA,  San  Francisco  Xavier  De  La,  a  reduction  of  Indians 
of  the  Capuchins,  of  the  province  of  Venezuela.  The  vicinity  produces, 
in  abundance,  cacao,  yucao,  and  other  vegetable  productions. 

AGUACAGUA,  an  Indian  mission,  on  a  branch  of  the  Oronoco,  called 
Garoni. 

AGUACATLAN,  an  Indian  mission  of  Xala,  in  Mexico.  In  1745,  it 
contained  80  families  of  Indians,  who  cultivated  maize  and  French  beans. 

AGUALULCO,  the  capital  of  the  jurisdiction  of  Izatlan,  New  Galicia,  which 
in  1745,  contained  100  Indian  families. 

AGUANOS,  a  settlement  in  the  province  of  Mainas,  Quito,  so  called  from 
the  Indians  of  whom  it  is  composed. 

.AGUARICO,  an  Indian  mission  of  the  Jesuits,  on  the  shores  of  the  river 
Napo,  of  the  province  of  Mainas,  Quito. 

AGUARINGUA,  an  ancient  and  large  settlement  of  Indians  of  the  Taironas 
nation,  in  Santa  Marta. 

AGUILUSCO,  a  settlement  of  the  district  of  Arantzan,  in  the  province  of 
Mechoacan,  which  contains  36  Indian  families.  They  subsist  by  sowing 
seed,  cutting  wood,  making  saddle  trees,  and  manufacturing  vessels  of  fine 
earthen  ware. 


ETHNOLOGY.  249 

AHAPOPKA,  a  lake  of  Florida,  having  its  outlet  through  the  Oclawaha 
dver  of  the  St.  John's. 

AHASIMUS,  an  ancient  Indian  name,  for  the  present  site  of  Jersey  city, 
Hudson  county,  New  Jersey. 

AHOME,  or  Ahoma,  a  nation  of  Indians,  living  on  the  banks  of  the  river 
Zaque,  in  the  province  of  Cinaloa,  of  California.  They  are  located  four 
leagues  from  the  gulf,  in  extensive  and  fertile  plains,  and  are  said  to  be  su 
perior,  by  nature,  to 'the  other  Indians  of  New  Spain.  Some  of  their 
customs  denote  this.  They  abhor  poligamy,  they  hold  virginity  in  the 
highest  estimation.  Unmarried  girls,  by  way  of  distinction,  wear  a  small 
shell  suspended  to  their  neck,  until  the  day  of  their  nuptials,  when  it  is 
taken  off  by  the  bridegroom.  They  wear  woven  cotton.  They  bewail 
their  dead  a  year,  at  night  and  morning.  They  are  gentle  and  faithful  in 
their  covenants  and  engagements. 

AHOUANDATE,  a  name  for  the  tribe  of  the  Wyandots,  which  is  found  on 
ancient  maps  of  the  Colonies. 

AHUACATLAN,  the  name  of  four  separate  settlements  of  Mexico,  contain 
ing,  respectively,  51,  13,  450,  and  160  families  of  Indians. 

AHUACAZALCA,  Nueva  Espana.  At  this  place,  56  families  of  Indians 
live  by  raising  rice  and  cotton.  It  is  in  the  district  of  San  Luis  de  la 
Costa. 

AHUACAZINGO,  in  the  district  of  Atengo,  Nueva  Espana,  contains  46 
Indian  families. 

AHUALICAN,  of  the  same  province,  has  36  Indian  families. 

AHUATELCO,  ib.     Has  289  families,  who  cultivate  wheat  and  raise  cattle. 

AHUATEMPA,  ib.     Has  39  families. 

AHUATEPEC,  ib.     Has  32  families. 

AHUAZITLA,  ib.  Has  36  families,  who  trade  inchia,  a  white  medicinal 
earth,  grain  and  earthen-ware. 

AHWAHAWA,  a  tribe  of  Indians  who  were  found  in  1805  to  be  located 
a  few  miles  above  the  Mandans,  on  the  south  west  banks  of  the  Missouri. 
They  are  believed  to  have  been  a  band  of  the  Minnitares.  They  numbered 
at  that  date  200.  They  were  at  war  with  the  Snake  Indians.  They  claim, 
to  have  once  been  a  part  of  the  Crow  nation.  They  professed  to  have  been 
long  residents  of  the  spot  occupied.  The  name  has  not  been  kept  up, 
and  does  not  appear  in  recent  reports  from  that  quarter.  Their  history 
is,  probably,  to  be  sought  in  that  of  the  Mandans  and  the  Minnetares. 

AIAHUALTEMPA,  a  settlement  of  Chalipa,  Mexico,  containing  36  Indian 
families. 

AIAHUALULCO,  ib.  Two  settlements  of  this  name,  contain,  respectively, 
70  and  42  Indian  families. 

AIAPANGO,  ib.  contains  100  Indian  families. 

AIATEPEC,  ib.  has  45  families  of  natives. 

AIAUTLA,  ib.  has  100  families. 


250 


ETHNOLOGY. 


AICHES,  a  settlement  of  Indians  of  Texas,  situated  on  the  main  road  to 
Mexico. 

AIECTIPAC,  Mexico.     Twenty-one  Indian  families  reside  here. 

AINSE,  a  Chippewa  chief  of  Point  St.  Ignace,  Mechilimackinac  county, 
Michigan.  The  population  of  this  band,  as  shown  by  the  government 
census  rolls  in  1840,  was  193,  of  whom  33  were  men,  54  women,  and  106 
children.  They  support  themselves  by  the  chase  and  by  fishing.  They 
cultivate  potatoes  only.  They  receive,  together  with  the  other  bands,  an 
nuities  from  the  government,  in  coin,  provisions,  salt,  and  tobacco,  for 
which  purpose  they  assemble  annually,  on  the  island  of  Michilimackinac. 
The  name  of  this  chief  is  believed  to  be  a  corruption  from  Hans. 

AIOCUESCO,  an  Indian  settlement  of  Chalipa,  Mexico.  Has  400  Indian 
families. 

AIOCTITLAN,  ib.     Has  76  ditto. 

AIOZINAPA,  ib.     Has  34  ditto. 

AIOZINGO,  ib.     Has  120  ditto. 

AIRICOS,  a  nation  of  Indians  inhabiting  the  plains  of  Cazanare  and 
Meta  in  the  new  kingdom  of  Grenada,  to  the  east  of  the  mountains  of 
Bogota.  They  inhabit  the  banks  of  the  river  Ele.  They  are  numerous 
and  warlike,  and  feared  by  all  their  neighbours,  for  their  valour  and  dex 
terity  in  the  use  of  arms.  In  1662  Antonio  de  Monteverde,  a  Jesuit,  es 
tablished  a  mission  among  them,  and  baptized  numbers. 

AISHQTJAGONABEE.  A  Chippewa  chief,  of  some  note,  of  a  mild  and  dig 
nified  carriage,  living  on  Grand  Traverse  Bay,  on  the  east  shores  of  lake 
Michigan.  In  1836  he  formed  a  part  of  the  delegation  of  Chippewa  and 
Ottowa  chiefs,  who  proceeded  to  Washington  city,  and  concluded  a  treaty 
ceding  their  lands  to  the  U.  S.  from  Grand  river  on  lake  Michigan,  to 
Chocolate  river  on  lake  Superior.  The  name  signifies,  the  first  feather,  or 
feather  of  honour.  The  population  of  his  village  in  1840,  as  shown  by 
the  census  rolls,  was  207,  of  whom  51  were  men,  or  heads -of  families,  49 
women,  and  107  children.  They  receive  annuities  annually  at  Michili 
mackinac.  They  subsist  by  the  chase,  by  planting  corn,  beans  and  pota 
toes,  and  by  fishing. 

AISHKEBUGEKOZH,  or  the  Flat  Mouth,  called  Guelle  Platte,  in  the  patois 
of  the  Fur  Trade.  The  Head  chief  of  the  band  of  the  Chippewas,  called 
Mukundwas  or  Pilligers,  who  are  situated  at  Leech  Lake,  on  the  sources 
of  the  Mississippi.  This  band,  it  is  estimated,  can  furnish  200  warriors, 
they  are  a  brave  and  warlike  people,  and  are  at  perpetual  war  with  their 
western  neighbours,  the  Sioux.  They  subsist  by  the  chase,  and  by  tak 
ing  white  fish  in  the  lake.  Some  corn  and  potatoes  are  also  raised  by  the 
women  and  the  old  and  superannuated  men  of  the  band.  They  are  a  fierce, 
wild,  untamed  race,  strong  in  their  numbers,  and  proud  and  confident  in 
their  success  in  war,  and  the  comparative  ease  with  which  they  procure  a 
subsistence  from  the  chase.  They  adhere  to  their  ancient  religious  cere- 


ETHNOLOGY.  251 

monies  and  incantations,  and  are  under  the  government  of  their  native 
priests,  jossakeeds  and  seers.  Aishkebugekozh,  has  for  many  years  exer 
cised  the  political  sway  over  them,  leading  them,  sometimes  to  war,  and 
presiding,  at  all  times,  in  their  councils.  He  is  a  shrewd  man,  of  much 
observation  and  experience  in  the  affairs  of  the  frontiers.  He  is  of  a 
large,  rather  stout  frame,  broad  shoulders  and  chest,  and  broad  face,  with 
a  somewhat  stern  countenance,  denoting  decision  of  character  and  capa 
city  to  command.  Thin  and  extended  lips,  parted  in  a  right  line  over  a 
prominent  jaw,  render  the  name,  which  his  people  have  bestowed  on  him, 
characteristic.  By  the  term  Kozh,  instead  of  Odoan,  the  true  meaning  of 
it  is  rather  muzzle,  or  snout,  than  mouth,  a  distinction  which  the  French 
have  preserved  in  the  term  Guelle. 

AIUINOS,  a  nation  of  Indians,  of  the  government  of  Cinaloa,  New  Spain. 
They  live  in  the  north  part  of  the  province.  They  formerly  dwelt  in 
lofty  mountains,  to  escape  the  effects  of  war  with  other  nations.  In  1624, 
the  Jesuits  established  a  mission  amongst  them.  They  are  docile,  well  in 
clined,  and  of  good  habits. 

AIUTLA,  a  settlement  of  New  Spain,  containing  187  Indian  families. 
Another  location  of  the  same  name  contains  23  families. 

AJOUES,  a  tribe  of  Indians  of  Louisiana,  in  its  ancient  extent,  while  it 
existed  under  the  government  of  the  French.  The  word,  as  expressed  in 
English  orthography,  is  lowas,  and  the  tribe  will  be  considered  under  that 
head. 

AKOSA,  an  Odjibwa  chief,  living  on  the  peninsula  of  Grand  Traverse 
Bay,  lake  Michigan,  known  for  his  good  will  towards  the  mission  esta 
blished  near  his  village,  by  the  American  Board,  in  1839.  In  the  recess 
periods  of  hunting,  he  is  attentive  on  the  means  of  instruction  furnished 
at  that  station.  He  enjoins  on  his  children  attendance  at  the  school.  He 
bestows  a  punctual  care  in  planting  his  corn-field  and  garden.  He  has 
erected  a  good  dwelling  house  of  logs,  and  supplied  it  with  several  articles 
of  plain  household  furniture.  He  is  of  a  mild  and  pleasing  character, 
and  appreciates  and  acknowledges  the  superiority  of  agriculture  and  civi 
lization  over  the  uncertainties  of  the  chase.  Without  distinction  in  war, 
or  eloquence,  or  a  genealogy  of  warriors  to  refer  to,  and  consequently,  of 
but  little  general  note  or  fame  in  his  tribe,  he  is  an  active  hunter,  and 
stable,  temperate  man,  and  may  be  regarded  as  a  fair  average  specimen, 
physically  and  mentally,  of  the  race.  The  band  of  Akosa  mustered  160 
souls,  on  the  pay  rolls  of  1840,  of  which  number,  37  were  men.  42  women, 
and  89  children.  They  receive  their  annuities  at  Michilimackinac. 

AKANSA,  a  synonym  of  Arkansas. 

ALABAMA,  one  of  the  United  States  of  America.  The  name  is  derived 
from  a  tribe  of  Indians,  who  formerly  inhabited  the  banks  of  the  river  of 
the  same  name.  This  river,  on  its  junction  with  the  Tombigbee,  forms  the 
Mobile.  The  Alabama  Indians,  were  succeeded  in  the  occupancy  of  this 


252  ETHNOLOGY. 

river  by  the  Creeks,  or  Muscogees.  They  withdrew  towards  the  west 
In  1790  their  descendants  lived  in  a  village,  eligibly  situated,  on  several 
swelling  green  hills  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi.  No  accounts  of  them 
are  given  in  recent  reports.  They  appear  to  have  continued  their  route 
westward  by  the  way  of  Red  River.  The  precise  period  of  their  cross 
ing  the  Mississippi  is  not  known.  They  came  to  Red  River  about  the 
same  time  as  the  Bolixies  and  Appalaches.  Their  language  is  represented 
to  be  the  Mobilian,  as  denominated  by  Du  Pratz,  that  is  the  Chacta.  Part 
of  them  lived,  at  the  end  of  the  18th  century,  on  Red  River,  sixteen  miles 
above  Bayou  Rapide.  Thence  they  went  higher  up  the  stream,  and  set 
tled  near  the  Caddoes,  where  they  raised  good  crops  of  corn.  An 
other  party,  of  about  40  men,  lived  in  Apalousas  district,  where  they 
cultivated  corn,  raised  and  kept  horses,  hogs  and  cattle,  and  exhibited  a 
quiet  and  pacific  character.  From  a  statement  published  in  a  paper,  at 
Houston,  the  seat  of  government  of  Texas,  in  1840,  their  descendants 
were  then  settled  on  the  river  Trinity,  in  that  republic,  where  they  are  as 
sociated  with  the  Coshattas,  forming  two  villages,  numbering  two  hundred 
warriors,  or  about  1000  souls.  They  preserve,  in  this  new  location,  the 
pacific  and  agricultural  traits  noticed  during  their  residence  in  Lousiana. 

ALACHUA,  an  extensive  level  prairie,  in  Florida,  about  75  miles  west  of 
St.  Augustine.  The  ancient  Indian  town  of  Alachua,  stood  on  its  bor 
ders,  but  its  inhabitants  removed  to  a  more  healthful  position  at  Cusco- 
willa. 

ALACLATZALA,  a  settlement  in  the  district  of  St.  Lewis,  New  Spain,  con 
taining  125  Indian  families. 

ALAHUITZLAN,  ib.  a  settlement  having  270  Indian  families. 

ALAPAHA,  one  of  the  higher  tributary  streams  of  the  Suwannee  river,  in 
Florida. 

ALASKE,  or  ONALASKA,  a  long  peninsula  on  the  N.  W.  coast  of  America. 
At  its  termination,  are  a  number  of  islands,  which  form  a  part  of  the  clus 
ter  called  the  northern  Archepelago. 

ALBARRADA,  a  settlement  of  Indians  in  the  kingdom  of  Chile,  situated 
on  the  shores  of  the  river  Cauchupil.  Also  a  settlement  of  New  Spain, 
containing  22  Indian  families. 

ALEMPIGON  improperly  written  for  Nipigon,  a  small  lake  north  of  lake 
Superior. 

ALFAXAIUCA,  a  settlement  of  New  Spain,  containing  171  Indian  fami 
lies. 

ALGANSEE,  a  township  of  the  county  of  Branch,  Michigan.  It  is  a 
compound  derivative  from  Algonkin,  gan,  a  particle  denoting  a  lake,  and 
mushcodainse,  a  prairie. 

ALGIC,  an  adjective  term  used  by  the  writer,  to  denote  a  genus  or  family 
of  tribes  who  take  their  characteristic  from  the  use  of  the  Algonquin  Ian- 


ETHNOLOGY,  253 

guage.     It  is  a  derivative  from  the  words  Algonquin^  and  Aket^  earth,  or 
land. 

ALGONQUIN,  a  nation  of  Indians  who,  on  the  discovery  and  settlement  of 
Canada,  were  found  to  occupy  the  north  banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence  be 
tween  Quebec,  Three  Rivers,  and  the  junction  of  the  Utawas.  Quebec 
itself  is  believed  to  be  a  word  derived  from  this  language,  having  its  origin 
in  Kebic,  the  fearful  rock  or  cliff  When  the  French  settled  at  Quebec, 
fifteen  kundred  fighting  men  of  this  nation  lived  between  that  nation  and 
Sillery.  They  were  reputed,  at  this  era,  to  be  the  most  warlike  and  power 
ful  people  in  North  America,  and  the  most  advanced  in  their  policy  and 
intelligence.  Golden  speaks  of  them  as  excelling  all  others.  On  the  ar 
rival  of  Champlain,  who,  although  not  the  discoverer  of  the  country,  was 
the  true  founder  of  the  French  power  in  Canada,  they  were  supplied  with 
fire  arms,  and  even  led  to  war,  by  that  chivalric  officer,  against  their  ene 
mies,  the  Iroquois.  They  were  stimulated  to  renewed  exertions  in  vari 
ous  ways,  by  the  arrival  of  this  new  power,  and  carried  the  terror  of  their 
arms  towards  the  soutK  and  south-west.  They  were  in  close  alliance 
with  the  Wyandots,  a  people  who,  under  the  names  of  Quatoghies  and 
Hurons,  on  Cartier's  arrival  in  1534,  were  seen  as  low  down  the  St. 
Lawrence  as  the  island  of  Anticosti,  and  bay  Chaleur.  But  as  soon  as 
the  Iroquois  had  been  supplied  with  the  same  weapons,  and  learned  their 
use,  the  Algonquins  were  made  to  feel  the  effects  of  their  courage,  and 
combined  strength.  The  Wyandots  were  first  defeated  in  a  great  battle 
fought  within  two  leagues  of  Quebec.  The  Iroquois  next  prepared  to 
strike  an  effective  blow  against  the  collective  tribes  of  kindred  origin, 
called  Algonquins.  Under  the  pretence  of  visiting  the  Governor  of  Ca 
nada,  they  introduced  a  thousand  men  into  the  valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence, 
when,  finding  their  enemies  separated  into  two  bodies,  the  one  at  the  river 
Nicolet,  and  the  other  at  Trois  Riviere,  they  fell  upon  them  unawares, 
and  defeated  both  divisions.  In  this  defeat  the  Nipercerinians  (Nipes- 
sings)  and  the  Atawawas  (Ottowas)  who  then  lived  on  the  banks  of  the 
St.  Lawrence,  participated.  The  former,  who  were  indeed  but  the  Al 
gonquins  under  their  proppr  name,  drew  off  towards  the  north-west. 
The  Atawawas  migrated  to  the  great  chain  of  the  Manatoulines  of  lake 
Huron,  whence  they  have  still  proceeded  further  towards  the  west  and  south, 
until  they  reached  L'arbre  Croche  and  Grand  River  of  Michigan,  their 
present  seats.  The  Quatoghies  or  Wyandots  fled  to  the  banks  of  the 
same  Lake  (Huron)  which  nas  derived  its  name  from  the  celebrity  of  their 
flight  to,  and  residence  on  its  banks. 

Of  the  Algonquins  proper  who  remained  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  who 
are  specifically  entitled  to  that  name,  but  a  limited  number  survive. 
About  the  middle  of  the  1 7th  century,  they  were  reduced  to  a  few  villages 
near  Quebec,  who  were  then  said  to  be  "  wasted,  and  wasting  away  undei 
the  effects  of  ardent  spirits."  Subsequently,  they  were  collected,  by  the 


254  ETHNOLOGY. 

Catholic  Church,  into  a  mission,  and  settled  at  the  Lake  of  Two  Moun 
tains,  on  the  Utawas  or  Grand  River  of  Canada,  where  they  have  been 
instructed  in  various  arts,  and  effectually  civilized.  There,  their  descend 
ants  still  remain.  They  are  a  tall,  active,  shrewd,  lithe,  energic  race. 
Parties  of  them  have  been  engaged  as  voyagers  and  hunters,  within  mo 
dern  times,  and  led  in  the  prosecution  of  the  fur  trade  into  the  remote  for 
ests  of  the  north-west.  In  these  positions,  they  have  manifested  a  degree  of 
energy,  hardihood,  and  skill  in  the  chase,  far  beyond  that  possessed  by 
native,  unreclaimed  tribes.  The  -Algonquin  women,  at  the  Lake  of  Two 
Mountains,  make  very  ingenious  basket  and  bead  work,  in  which  the 
dyed  quills  of  the  porcupine,  and  various  coloured  beads  of  European 
manufacture,  are  employed.  They  also  make  finger  rings  out  of  moose 
hair,  taken  from  the  breast  tuft  of  this  animal,  in  which  mottoes  or  devices 
are  worked.  They  have  molodious  soft  voices,  in  chanting  the  hymns 
sung  at  the  mission.  This  tribe  is  called  Odishkuaguma,  that  is,  People- 
at-the-end-of-the-waters,  by  the  Odjibwas.  They  were  called  Adiron- 
dacks,  by  the  Six  Nations.  The  term  Algonquin,  which  we  derive  from 
the  French,  is  not  of  certain  etymology.  It  appears  at  first  to  have  been  a 
nom  de  guerre,  for  the  particular  people,  or  tribe,  whose  descendants  are 
now  confined  to  the  position  at  the  Lake  of  Two  Mountains.  It  was  early 
applied  to  all  the  tribes  of  kindred  origin.  And  is  now  a  generic  term  foi 
a  family  or  primitive  stock  of  tribes  in  North  America,  who  either  speak 
cognate  dialects,  or  assimilate  in  the  leading  principles  of  their  languages. 
The  number  of  these  tribes  still  existing,  Is  very  large,  and  viewed  in 
the  points  of  their  greatest  difference,  the  variations  in  the  consonantal  and 
diphthongal  sounds  of  their  languages,  are  considerable.  As  a  general 
geographical  area,  these  tribes,  at  various  periods  from  about  1600,  to  the 
present  time,  ethnographically  covered  the  Atlantic  coast,  from  the 
northern  extremity  of  Pamlico-sound  to  the  Straits  of  Bellisle,  extending 
west  and  north-west,  to  the  banks  of  the  Missinipi  of  Hudson's  Bay,  and 
to  the  east  borders  of  the  Mississippi,  as  low  as  the  junction  of  the  Ohio. 
From  this  area,  the  principal  exceptions  are  the  Iroquois  of  New  York, 
the  Wyandots  west,  .and  the  Winnebagoes  and  small  bands  of  the  Doco- 
tahs.  The  grammatical  principles  of  these  dialects,  coincide.  As  a  gene 
ral  fact,  in  their  lexicography  the  letters  f,  r  and  v  are  wanting.  The 
dialects  derive  their  peculiarities,  in  a  great  measure,  from  interchanges 
between  the  sounds  of  1  and  n,  b  and  p.  d  and  t,  g  and  k,  in  some  of  which, 
there  is  a  variance  even  in  distant  bands  of  the  same  tribe.  The  language 
is  transpositive.  In  its  conjugations,  the  pronouns  are  incorporated  with 
the  verb,  either  as  prefixes  or  suffixes.  Its  substantives  are  provided  with 
adjective  inflections,  denoting  size  and  quality.  Its  verbs,  on  the  other 
hand,  receive  substantive  inflections.  Gender  is,  as  a  rule,  lost  sight  of, 
in  the  uniform  attempt,  to  preserve,  by  inflections,  a  distinction  between 
animate  and  inanimate,  and  personal  or  impersonal  objects.  It  is  remark- 


ETHNOLOGY. 


255 


able  for  the  variety  of  its  compounds,  although  the  vocabulary  itself,  is 
manifestly  constructed  from  monosyllabic  roots.  All  its  substantives 
admit  of  diminutives,  but,  in  no  instance,  of  augmentatives.  They  also 
admit  of  derogative  and  prepositional  inflections.  The  comparison  of 
adjectives,  is  not,  on  the  contrary,  made  by  inflections,  but  by  separate  words. 
There  is  no  dual  number,  but  in  all  the  dialects,  so  far  as  examined,  a 
distinction  is  made  in  the  plural  of  the  first  person,  to  denote  the  inclusion 
or  exclusion  of  the  object.  There  is  no  distinction  between  the  pronoun, 
singular  and  plural,  of  the  third  person.  The  language  has  some  redun 
dancies,  which  would  be  pruned  off  by  cultivation.  It  has  many  liquid 
and  labial  sounds.  It  has  a  soft  flow  and  is  easy  of  attainment.  It  is  pe 
culiarly  rich  and  varied,  in  its  compound  terms  for  visible  objects,  and 
their  motions  or  acts.  Streams,  mountains,  vallies,  and  waters,  in  all  their 
variety  of  appearance,  are  graphically  described.  It  is  equally  suited  to 
describe  the  phenomena  of  the  heavens,  the  air,  tempests,  sounds,  light, 
colours,  motion,  and  the  various  phases  of  the  clouds  and  planetary  bodies. 
It  is  from  this  department,  that  a  large  portion  of  their  personal  names  are 
taken. 

It  is  true  that  many  of  the  grammatical  principles  of  the  Algonquin 
languages,  are  also  developed  in  other  stocks.  Yet  these  stocks  are  not 
as  well  known.  It  was  chiefly  in  the  area  of  the  Algonquin  tribes,  that 
the  British  and  French,  and  Dutch  and  Swedish  colonists  settled,  and  the 
result  of  enquiry,  through  a  long  period,  has  accumulated  most  materials 
in  relation  to  this  type  of  the  American  languages.  Specific  notices  of 
each  of  the  subdivisions  of  this  stock,  will  be  given  under  the  appropriate 
names. 

The  general  synonyms  for  this  nation  are  but  few.  The  principal  dif 
ferences  in  the  orthography,  between  the  French  and  English  writers 
consist  in  che  latter's  spelling  the  last  syllable  quin,  while  the  former  em 
ploy  kin.  In  old  encyclopaedias  and  gazetteers,  the  phrase  Algonquinen- 
sis,  is  used.  The  .term  Abernaquis,  is  also  a  French  mode  of  annotation 
for  the  same  word,  but  is  rather  applied  at  this  time  to  a  specific  band. 
The  word  Algic,  derived  from  the  same  root,  has  been  applied  by  the 
writer  to  the  entire  circle  of  the  Algonquin  tribes,  in  their  utmost  former 
extent  in  North  America.  Mr.  Gallatin  has  proposed  the  term  "  Algonkin- 
Lenape,"  as  a  philological  denomination  for  this  important  family.  Their 
own  name  for  the  race,  is  a  question  of  some  diversity  of  opinion.  Those 
particular  tribes,  who  were  found  on  the  Atlantic  coast  between  the  Chesa- 
peak-bay  and  the  Hudson,  called  themselves  Lenapes,  generally  with  the 
prefixed  or  qualifying  noun  of  Linno,  or  Lenno.  Other  tribes  extending 
over  the  largest  area  of  the  union,  and  of  British  America,  inhabited  by 
this  stock,  denote  themselves  as  a  race,  by  the  term  Anishinaba,  that  is,  the 
common  people. 

The  term  Lenape,  signifies  a  male,  and  is  identical  in  sense  with  the 


256  ETHNOLOGY. 

Algonquin-  word  laba.  If  Lenno,  or  Linno  be,  as  some  contend,  a  term 
denoting  original,  they  must  be  conceded  to  have  had  more  forethought, 
and  a  greater  capacity  for  generalization,  than  other  stocks  have  mani 
fested,  by  calling  themselves,  Original  Men.  If,  however,  it  only  implies, 
•is  others  acquainted  with  this  language,  assert,  common  or  general,  then  is 
here  perceived  to  be  a  perfect  identity  in  the  meaning  of  the  two  terms. 

ALGONAC,  a  village  of  the  county  of  St.  Clair,  Michigan,  which  is 
pleasantly  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  river  St.  Clair.  It  is  a  term  de 
rived  from  the  word  Algonquin,  and  akee,  earth  or  land. 

ALGONQUINENSIS,  a  term  used  in  old  gazetteers  and  geographical  die 
vionaries,  for  the  Algonquins. 

ALIETANS,  a  name  for  the  Shoshones,  or  Snake  Indians.     See  letans. 

ALIBAMONS,  or  ALIEAMIS,  ancient  forms  of  orthography  for  the  tribe  of 
the  Alabamas. 

ALINA,  a  settlement  of  Pinzandarc,  New  Spain,  containing  20  Indian 
families,  who  have  a  commerce  in  maize  and  wax. 

ALIPKONCK,  an  Indian  village  which,  in  1 659,  stood  on  the  east  banks 
of  the  river  Hudson,  between  the  influx  of  the  Croton,  then  called  by  the 
Dutch  Saehkill,  and  the  Indian  village  of  Sing  Sing.  [Osinsing.]  Anee- 
bikong?  place  of  leaves,  or  rich  foliage. 

ALLCA,  an  ancient  province  of  the  kingdom  of  Peru,  south  of  Cuczo,  in 
habited  by  a  race  of  natives,  who  made  a  vigorous  stand  against  Manco 
Capac,  the  fourth  emperor  of  the  Incas,  and  called  the  conqueror.  In 
this  defence,  they  were  favoured  by  the  rugged  character  of  the  country, 
which  abounds  in  woods,  mountains,  lakes,  and  gold  and  silver  mines. 

ALLEGAN,  an  agricultural  and  milling  county  of  the  state  of  Michigan, 
bordering  on  the  east  shores  of  lake  Michigan.  It  is  a  derivative  word, 
from  Algonkin,  and  gan  the  penultimate  syllable  of  the  Odjibwa  term 
Sa-gi-e-gan,  a  lake. 

ALLEGHANY,  the  leading  chain  of  mountains  of  the  United  States  east 
of  the  Mississippi,  also  one  of  the  two  principal  sources  of  the  Ohio  river. 
Indian  tradition  attributes  the  origin  of  this  name  to  an  ancient  race  of  In 
dians  who  were  called  Tallegewy,  or  Allegewy.  This  nation,  tradition 
asserts,  had  spread  themselves  east  of  the  Mississippi  and  of  the  Ohio. 
They  were  a  warlike  people,  and  defended  themselves  in  long  and  bloody 
wars,  but  were  overpowered  and  driven  south  by  a  confederacy  of  tribes, 
whose  descendants  still  exist  in  the  Algonquin  and  Iroquois  stocks.  Such 
is  the  account  of  the  Dela wares. 

ALMOLOIA,  a  settlement  of  Zultepec  in  New  Spain,  of  77  Indian  families ; 
also,  in  Metepec,  in  the  same  kingdom,  of  156  families. 


ETHNOLOGY.  257 

ALMOLOLO/UAN,  a  settlement  in  the  district  of  Cohma,  New  Spain,  of 
60  Indian  families. 

ALOTEPEC,  ib.  has  67  families. 

ALOZOZINGO,  ib.  has  110  families. 

ALPIZAGUA,  ib.  has  36  families. 

ALPOIECA,  ib.  has  42  families.     Another,  same  name,  of  115  families. 

ALPOIECAZINGO,  ib.  has  140  families. 

ALPONECA,  ib.  has  30  families.     Another,  same  name,  77  families. 

ALTAMAHA,  a  river  of  Georgia. 

ALTOTONGA,  the  name  of  a  settlement  of  Xalapa,  in  New  Spain.  The 
word  signifies  in  the  Mexican  language,  hot  and  saltish  water,  and  this 
comes  from  the  intermingled  qualities  of  two  streams  which  originate  in 
a  mountain  near  to  each  other,  and  form  by  their  junction  a  river  which 
runs  into  the  lake  of  Alchichica. 

ALZOUI,  a  settlement  of  190  Indian  families,  of  Tlapa,  in  New  Spain, 
or  Mexico.  They  are  industrious,  cultivating  maize,  cotton,  French 
beans  and  rice. 

ALMoucHico,.the  Indian  name  for  New  England,  on  the  map  of 
"Novi  Belgii,"  published  at  Amsterdam  in  1659. 

AMACACHES,  a  nation  of  Indians  of  Brazil,  of  the  province  of  Rio 
Janiero.  They  inhabit  the  mountains  south  of  the  city.  They  are 
numerous,  and  much  dreaded,  on  account  of  the  desperate  incursions  they 
have  made  into  the  Portuguese  settlements.  Their  weapons  are  darts, 
and  macanaw,  a  kind  of  club  made  of  a  very  heavy  wood.  They  poison 
their  arrows  and  lances. 

AMALISTES,  a  band  of  Algonquins,  living  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  num 
bering  500  in  1760. 

AMANALCO,  an  Indian  settlement  of  the  district  of  Metepeque,  Mexico, 
of  1224  families. 

AMAPAES,  a  barbarous  nation  of  Indians  in  New  Andalusia,  to  the  west 
of  the  river  Orinoco,  near  the  mountains  of  Paria.  They  a»e  valiant  and 
hardy  ;  sincere  and  faithful  in  their  engagements.  They  live  by  the 
chace  and  by  fishing.  They  make  arms,  which  are  tipped  by  vegetable 
poisons.  They  are  at  war  with  the  Isaperices.  Their  territory  is  called, 
after  them,  Amapaya. 

AMAPILCAN,  a  settlement  of  Tlapa,  Mexico,  containing  15  Indian 
families. 

AMATEPEC,  an  Indian  settlement  of  Zultepec,  Mexico,  situated  on  the 
top  of  a  mountain,  consisting  of  80  families.  Another  settlement,  of  the 
same  name,  in  the  district  of  Toltontepec,  has  15  Indians  families.  Both 
have  a  cold  temperature. 

AMATICLAN,  a  settlement  of  Huitepec,  in  Mexico,  containing  43  Indian 
families. 

17 


258  ETHNOLOGY. 

AMATINCHAN,  a  settlement  of  Tlapa,  Mexico,  containing  62  Indian 
families. 

AMATLAN,  a  settlement  of  Tanzitaro,  Mexico,  containing  60  Indian 
families.  Another  settlement  of  San  Louis,  has  380  families.  Another, 
in  the  district  of  Cordova,  has  220.  Another,  in  Zacatlan  248.  Ano 
ther,  in  Cozamaopan  has  150.  All  these  bear  the  same  name,  with  the 
prefix  of  the  dedicatory  patron,  Santa  Ana. 

AMBOY,  a  bay  of  New  Jersey.  This  part  of  the  state  was  occupied,  in 
ancient  time,  by  a  tribe  or  band  of  the  Minci,  who  were  called  Sauhi- 
kans. 

AMEALCO,  a  settlement  of  Q,uerataro,  Mexico,  containing  38  Indian 
families. 

AMECA,  a  settlement  of  Autlan,  Mexico,  containing  43  Indian  families. 

AMECAMECA,  a  settlement  of  Chalco,  Mexico,  containing  570  Indian 
families. 

AMECAQUE,  a  settlement  of  Calpa,  Mexico,  containing  275  Indian 
families. 

AMERICA  ;  no  nation  of  Indians  on  this  continent,  had,  so  far  as  we  know, 
ever  generalized  sufficiently  to  bestow  a  generic  name  on  the  continent. 
The  Algonquin  terms  "  Our  Country,"  AINI>ANUKEYAN,  and  "  The  West," 
KABEAN,  were  probably  the  most  comprehensive  which  their  intercourse 
or  ideas  required.  Equivalents  for  these  phrases  might  be,  perhaps,  suc 
cessfully  sought  among  all  the  most  advanced  tribes.  The  instances  here 
given  are  from  the  Odjibwa  dialect. 

AMICWAYS,  or  AMICAWAES,  a  tribe  or  family  of  Indians,  who  are  spoken 
of  by  the  French  writers  as  having  formerly  inhabited  the  Manatonline 
chain  of  islands  in  lake  Huron.  The  term  is  from  Amik,  a  beaver.  The 
Ottowas  settled  here,  after  their  discomfiture,  along  with  the  Adirondacks, 
on  the  St.  Lawrence. 

AMIK-EMINIS,  the  group  of  Beaver  islands  of  Lake  Michigan.  The  east 
ernmost  of  this  group  is  called  Amik-aindaud,  or  the  Beaver-house,  These 
islands  are  inhabited  by  Chippewas.  In  1840,  they  numbered  199  souls, 
of  whom  39  were  men,  51  women,  and  109  children.  All  were  engaged 
in  the  chase,  or  in  fishing,  and  none  in  agriculture.  Their  chief  was 
called  Kinwabekizze. 

AMIKWUG,  a  wild  roving  nation  northwest  of  the  sources  of  the  Missis 
sippi.  See  Beaver  Indians. 

AMILPA,  a  settlement  of  Xochimilco,  in  Mexico,  containing  730  Indian 
families,  who  live  by  agriculture. 

AMILTEPEC,  a  settlement  of  Juquila,  M.,  containing  14  Indian  families. 
AMIXOCORES,  a  barbarous  nation  of  Indians  of  Brazil.     They  inhabit 
the  woods  and  mountains  south  of  Rio  Janerio.     They  are  cruel  and 
treacherous.     They  are  at  continual  war  with  the  Portuguese.    Very  little 
is  known  of  the  territory  they  inhabit,  or  of  their  manners. 


ETHNOLOGY.  259 

AMMOUGKAUGEN,  a  name  used  in  1659,  for  the  southern  branch  of  the 
Piscataqua  river. 

AMOLA,  or  AMULA,  a  judicial  district  in  Guadaxalara,  Mexico.  In  the 
Mexican  tongue,  it  signifies  the  land  of  many  trees,  as  it  abounds  in  trees 
The  change  from  o  to  u  in  the  word,  is  deemed  a  corruption. 

AMOLTEPEC,  a  settlement  of  Teozaqualco,  Mexico,  containing  96  Indian 
families. 

AMONOOSUCK,  an  Indian  name  which  is  borne  by  two  rivers  of  New 
Hampshire.  Both  take  their  rise  in  the  White  Mountains.  The  upper 
Amonoosuck  enters  the  Connecticut  River,  at  Northumberland,  near 
upper  Coos.  The  lower,  or  Great  Amonoosuck,  enters  the  same  river 
above  the  town  of  Haverhill,  in  lower  Coos. 

AMOPOCAN,  a  settlement  of  Indians  of  Cuyo,  in  Chili,  situated  along  the 
shores  of  a  river. 

AMOZAQUE,  a  settlement  of  Puebla  de  los  Angelos,  in  a  hot  and  dry  tem 
perature,  containing  586  Indian  families. 

AMPONES.  a  barbarous  nation  of  Indians,  in  Paraguay.  They  inhabit 
the  forest  to  the  south  of  the  Rio  de  la  Plata.  They  are  of  small 
stature.  They  are  divided  into  several  tribes.  They  are  courageous. 
They  live  on  wild  tropical  fruits,  and  on  fish  which  are  taken  in  certain 
lakes.  They  preserve  these  by  smoking.  They  enjoy  a  fine  country  and 
climate.  They  find  gold  in  the  sand  of  their  rivers,  and  have  some  traffic 
with  the  city  of  Conception.  Some  converts  have  been  made  to  the  Cath 
olic  faith. 

AMUES,  a  settlement  and  silver  mine  of  San  Luis  de  la  Paz,  in  Mexico. 
It  has  43  Indian  families,  besides  93  of  Mustees  and  Mullatoes.  They 
subsist  by  digging  in  the  mines. 

AMURCAS,  a  nation  of  barbarous  Indians,  descended  from  the  Panches, 
in  New  Grenada.  They  live  in  the  forests  to  the  south  of  the  river  Mag- 
dalena.  But  little  is  known  of  them. 

AMUSKEAG,  the  Indian  name  of  a  fall  m  the  river  Mernmack,  New 
Hampshire,  16  miles  below  Concord,  and  7  miles  below  Hookset  falls. 

ANA,  SANTA.  Of  the  fifty-five  names  of  places  in  Mexico,  or  New  Spain, 
mentioned  by  Alcedo,  which  bear  this  name,  seven  are  the  seat  of  a  joint 
population  of  544  Indian  families.  Of  these,  31  are  in  Zaqualpa  ;  117  in 
Zultepec;  124  in  Toluca;  134  in  Cholula ;  18  in  Yautepec ;  25  in 
Mitla;  70  in  Amaqueca;  and  149  in  Huehuetlan. 

AXAHUAC,  the  ancient  Indian  name  of  New  Spain,  or  Mexico.  The 
valley  of  Mexico,  or  Tenochtitlan,  is,  according  to  Humboldt,  situated  in 
the  centre  of  the  Cordillera  of  Anahuac.  This  valley  is  of  an  oval  form. 
Its  length  is  ISf  leagues,  estimating  from  the  entry  of  the  Rio  Tenango 
into  lake  Chalco  to  the  foot  of  the  Cerro  de  Sincoque,  and  12|  leagues  in 
breadth,  from  St.  Gabriel  to  the  sources  of  the  Rio  de  Escapusalco.  Its 
territorial  extent  is  244|  square  leagues,  of  which  only  22  square  leagues 


260  ETHNOLOGY. 

are  occupied  by  lakes,  being  less  than  a  tenth  of  the  whole  surface.  The 
circumference  of  the  valley,  estimating  around  the  crest  of  the  mountains, 
is  67  leagues.  This  crest  is  very  elevated  in  most  parts,  and  embraces  the 
great  volcanoes  of  La  Puebla,  Popocatepetl,  and  Iztacchihuatl.  There 
are  five  lakes  in  this  valley,  of  which,  that  of  Tezcuco  is  the  largest.  All 
are  much  diminished  in  the  quantity  of  water  they  yield,  since  the  16th 
century,  which  is  owing,  in  part,  to  the  destruction  of  trees  by  the  Span 
iards,  but  most  directly  to  the  canal  of  Huehuetoco,  cut  through  a  moun 
tain,  by  which  the  waters  are  drawn  into  the  river  Panuco,  and  thus  find 
their  way  into  the  Atlantic.  By  this  work,  the  city  of  Mexico  itself  was 
freed  from  all  effects  of  periodical  inundation,  and  the  site  enlarged  and 
rendered  better  suited  to  streets  and  carriages.  The  waters  of  lake  Tez- 
cuce  are  impregnated  with  muriate  and  carbonate  of  soda.  Those  of 
Xochimilco  are  the  most  pure  and  limpid.  Humboldt  found  their  specific 
gravity  to  be  1.0009,  when  distilled  water  at  the  temperature  of  54° 
Fahrenheit,  was  1.000,  and  that  of  Tezcuco  1.0215. 

Of  the  five  lakes  mentioned,  Xochimilco  and  Chalco  contain  6^  square 
leagues;  Tezcuco,  10T^;  San  Christoval,  3T% ;  and  Zumpango,  lT3o. 
The  valley  is  a  basin,  surrounded  by  an  elevated  wall  of  porphyry  moun 
tains.  The  bottom  of  this  basin  is  2,277  metres,  or  7,468  feet  above 
the  sea. 

ANALCO,  a  settlement  of  Guadalaxara,  in  Mexico,  containing  40  Indian 
families. 

ANASAGUNTAKOOK,  a  band  of  the  Abenaki,  on  the  sources  of  the  Andros- 
coggin,  in  Maine. 

ANCAMARES,  a  nation  of  Indians  inhabiting  the  shores  of  the  river  Ma- 
dera.  They  are  very  warlike  and  robust.  In  1683  they  attacked  the 
Portuguese,  and  compelled  them  to  give  up  the  navigation  of  the  river. 
They  are  divided  into  different  tribes.  The  most  numerous  are  the  An- 
camares,  who  inhabit  the  shores  of  the  river  Cayari. 

ANCAS,  a  nation  of  Indians  in  Peru,  who,  on  the  6th  January,  1725, 
were  overwhelmed  and  destroyed  by  the  ruins  of  a  mountain  which  burst 
forth  by  an  earthquake.  Fifteen  thousand  souls  perished  on  that  occasion. 

ANCE,  or  HANCE'S  band  of  Chippewas,  living  at  Point  St.  Ignace,  on 
the  straits  of  Michilimackinac,  in  Michigan.  This  band,  in  1840,  as  de- 
rroted  by  the  annuity  pay  rolls,  numbered  193 ;  of  whom,  33  were  men, 
54  women,  and  106  children.  They  subsist  in  part  by  hunting  the  small 
furred  animals  still  existing  in  the  country,  and  in  part  by  fishing.  They 
migrate  from  place  to  place,  as  the  season  varies,  plant  very  little,  and  are 
addicted  to  the  use  of  ardent  spirits. 

ANCLOTE,  an  island  on  the  southwest  coast  of  Florida ;  also,  a  river 
flowing  into  the  gulf  at  that  locality,  which  is  also  called,  in  the  Seminole 
dialect,  the  Est-has-hotee. 


ETHNOLOGY.  261 

ANCUTERES,  a  nation  of  infidel  Indians  inhabiting  the  forests  of  the  river 
Napo,  in  Quito.  They  are  numerous,  savage,  treacherous,  and  inconstant. 

ANDASTES,  a  nation  formerly  inhabiting  the  territory  on  the  southern 
shores  of  lake  Erie,  southwest  of  the  Senecas.  They  were  extirpated  by 
the  Inquois. 

ANDAIG  WEOS,  or  CROW'S  FLESH,  a  hereditary  chief  of  the  Chippewa 
nation,  living  towards  the  close  of  the  last  century  at  the  ancient  Indian 
village  of  La  Pointe  Chegoimegon,  on  lake  Superior.  He  possessed  quali 
ties,  which,  under  a  different  phasis  of  society,  would  have  developed 
themselves  in  marked  acts  of  benevolence.  Numbers  of  anecdotes,  favour 
able  to  his  character,  are  related  of  him,  and  have  been  handed  down  by 
tradition  among  the  French  residents  on  that  remote  frontier.  Although 
a  warrior,  engaged  in  frequent  expeditions  against  the  enemies  of  his  tribe, 
he  opposed  the  shedding  of  the  blood  of  white  men  who  were  encountered, 
in  a  defenceless  state,  in  the  pursuits  of  trade.  He  also  resisted  the  plun 
der  of  their  property.  He  had  a  strong  natural  sense  of  justice,  accom 
panied  with  moral  energy,  and  gave  utterance  to  elevated  and  ennobling 
sentiments  in  his  intercourse. 

ANDREAS,  SAN.  A  settlement  of  Texupilco,  in  Mexico,  containing  77 
Indian  families ;  another  of  Toluco,  of  134 ;  another  in  Tlatotepec,  of  33; 
another  in  Tuxtla,  of  1170;  another  in  Guejozingo,  of  15;  another  in 
Papalotepec,  of  20 ;  another  in  Hiscoutepec,  of  68  ;  another  in  Tepehua- 
can,  of  40  ;  all  under  the  same  dedicatory  name. 

ANDROSCOGGIN,  the  main  western  source  of  the  river  Kennebec,  in 
Maine. 

ANGAGUA,  SANTIAGO  DE  ;  a  settlement  of  Valladolid,  Mexico,  containing 
22  Indian  families. 

ANGAMOCUTIRO,  a  settlement  of  the  same  district  with  the  preceding,  con 
taining  1 06  Indian  families. 

ANGARAES,  a  province  of  Peru,  containing  six  curacies  or  parishes  of 
Indians. 

ANGELES,  PUEBLA  DE  Los,  the  capitol  of  the  province  of  Tlaxcala,  in  New 
Spain,  or  Mexico,  founded  in  1533.  The  entire  number  of  Indian  fami 
lies  within  this  important  jurisdiction  is  3,200,  which,  at  the  ordinary  rate 
of  the  estimation  of  Indian  population  here,  that  is,  five  souls  to  a  family, 
gives  an  aggregate  of  16,000.  These  are  descendants  of  the  ancient 
Azteess,  who  inhabited  the  country  on  its  conquest. 

This  is,  however,  but  the  population  of  the  chief  town  or  capital.  The 
entire  intendency  of  Pueblos  de  los  Angeles  contained,  in  1793,  508,098 
souls.  Of  this  number,  373,752  were  Indians  of  pure  blood,  divided  into 
187,531  males,  and  186,221  females.  There  were  also  77,908  of  the 
mixed  race,  divided  into  37,318  males,  and  40,590  females.  But  54,980 
were  Spaniards,  or  whites,  exclusive  of  585  secuhr  ecclesiastics,  446 
monks,  and  427  nuns. 


262  ETHNOLOGY. 

This  preponderance  of  the  native  Indian  population  is  still  more  strik 
ing  in  the  government  of  Ilaxcala,  which,  of  course,  includes  the  capital 
above  named.  In.  1793,  it  contained  a  population  of  59,177  souls;  of 
which,  42,878  were  Indians,  divided  into  21,849  males,  and  21,029 
females.  The  town  is  governed  by  a  Cacique,  and  four  Indian  Alcaldes, 
who  represent  the  ancient  heads  of  the  four  quarters,  still  called  Teepecti- 
pac,  Ocotelalco,  Quiahtuitztlan,  and  Tizatlan.  By  virtue  of  a  royal  cedula 
of  16th  April,  1585,  the  whites  have  no  seat  in  the  municipality.  The 
Cacique,  or  Indian  Governor,  enjoys  the  honors  of  an  alferez  real.  Not 
withstanding  the  zeal  of  a  Spanish  intendant  general,  the  progress  of  the 
inhabitants  in  industry  and  prosperity  has  been  extremely  slow.  The  se 
cret  of  this  is,  perhaps,  revealed  in  the  fact  that  four  fifths  of  the  whole 
property  belongs  to  mort-main  proprietors,  that  is  to  say,  to  communities 
of  monks,  to  chapters,  corporations,  and  hospitals.  Their  trade  is  also  de 
pressed  by  the  enormous  price  of  carriage  from  the  table  lands,  and  the 
want  of  beasts  of  burden. 

The  geology  and  antiquities  of  this  part  of  Mexico,  are  equally  interest 
ing.  The  intendency  of  Puebla  is  traversed  by  the  high  Cordilleras  of 
Anahuac,  which,  beyond  the  18th  degree  of  latitude,  spreads  into  a  plain, 
elevated  from  1,800  to  2,000  metres  above  the  level  of  the  ocean,  or  from 
5,905  to  6,561  feet,  in  this  intendency  is  also  the  Popocatepetl,  the  high 
est  mountain  in  Mexico.  Humboldt's  measurement  of  this  volcano  makes- 
it  600  metres  (1,968  feet,)  higher  than  the  most  elevated  summit  of  the 
old  continent.  It  is,  indeed,  only  exceeded  between  Panama  and  Behring's 
Straits,  by  Mt.  St.  Elias. 

The  table  land  of  Puebla  exhibits  remarkable  vestiges  of  ancient  civil 
ization.  The  fortifications  of  Tlaxcala  are  posterior  in  the  date  of  theii 
construction  to  the  great  pyramid  of  Cholula.  This  pyramid,  or  teocalli, 
is  the  most  stupendous  monument  erected  by  the  race.  Its  squares  are 
arranged  in  exact  accordance  with  the  astronomical  parallels.  It  is  con 
structed  in  stages  or  terraces,  the  highest  of  which  is  177  feet  above  the 
plain.  It  has  a  base  of  1423  feet.  By  a  passage  excavated  into  the  north 
side  of  it,  a  few  years  ago,  it  is  found  to  be  solid,  and  to  consist  of  alternate 
layers  of  brick  and  clay.  Its  centre  has  not,  however,  been  reached.  Ifr 
height  exceeds  the  third  of  the  great  Egyptian  pyramids  of  the  group  o/ 
Ghiza.  In  its  base,  however,  it  exceeds  that  of  all  other  edifices  found  by 
travellers  in  the  old  continent ;  it  is  almost  double  that  of  the  great  pyra 
mid  of  Cheops.  To  conceive  of  the  vastness  of  the  structure,  let  the  tra 
veller  imagine  a  square  four  times  the  size  of  the  Place  Vendome,  piled 
up  with  brick,  in  terraces,  twice  the  utmost  height  of  the  palace  of  the 
Louvre. 

The  Indians  of  the  province  of  Tlaxcala  speak  three  languages,  differ 
ing  from  one  another,  namely :  the  Mexican,  Totonac,  and  Tlapanac. 
The  first  is  peculiar  to  the  inhaoitants  of  Puebla,  Cholula,  and  Tlascalla ; 


ETHNOLOGY. 


263 


the  second  to  the  inhabitants  of  Zacatlan ;  and  the  third  is  preserved  in 
the  environs  of  Tlapa.  The  population  of  the  entire  intendency  of  Pue* 
bla,  in  1803,  that  is,  ten  years  after  the  census  above  noted,  had  advanced 
to  813,300  in  an  extent  of  2,696  square  leagues,  giving  301  inhabitants  to 
the  square  league.  Small  as  this  may  appear,  it  is  four  times  greater  than 
that  of  Sweden,  and  nearly  equal  to  that  of  the  Kingdom  of  Arragon. 

ANIALIS,  a  barbarous  nation  of  South  American  Indians,  in  the  llanos 
of  Casanare  and  Meta,  in  the  new  kingdom  of  Grenada.  They  are  de 
scended  from  the  Betoyes.  They  are  very  numerous,  and  of  a  gentle 
nature.  The  Jesuits  established  a  mission  among  them  in  1722. 

ANNACIOIS,  or  ANNACOUS,  a  barbarous  nation  of  Indians,  of  the  province 
of  Puerto  Seguro,  in  Brazil.  They  inhabit  the  woods  and  mountains  to 
the  west,  and  near  the  rivers  Grande  and  Yucara.  They  are  in  a  con 
stant  state  of  warfare,  night  and  day.  They  are  irreconcileable  enemies 
of  the  Portuguese,  whose  colonies  and  cultivated  lands  they  continually 
infest,  and  which  they  destroyed  in  1687. 

ANNEMOSING,  the  name  of  the  Ottowas,  and  Chippewas,  for  the  Fox 
Islands,  of  lake  Michigan.  It  is  derived  of  Annemose,  a  young  dog  or 
fox,  and  ing,  a  particlo  denoting  place,  or  locality. 

ANNEMIKEENS,  a  Chippevva  hunter  of  Red  River,  in  Hudson's  bay, 
who  survived  a  conflict  with  a  grisly  bear.  After  being  terribly  lacerated, 
in  his  face  and  limbs,  but  not  deprived  of  consciousness,  he  affected  death. 
The  animal  then  feized  him  gently  by  the  neck,  and  dragged  him  to  a 
thicket,  where  ho  was  left,  as  it  was  thought,  to  be  eaten  when  the  calls 
of  hunger  shonir'  demand.  From  this  position  he  arose,  first  setting  up, 
and  binding  prats  of  his  lacerated  flesh  down,  and  afterwards  rose,  and 
succeeded  ir  reaching  his  wigwam,  where,  by  skill  in  the  use  of  simples, 
his  wound*  v/ere  entirely  healed.  The  name  signifies  little  thunder,  be 
ing  a  coT^ound  from  Annimikee,  thunder,  and  the  diminutive  inflection 
in  us. 

ANNF/TELIGO,  a  hammock  brought  to  notice  in  the  late  war  with  the 
Seminotas,  in  Florida.  It  is  situated  east  of  the  Withlacooche  river. 

ANGLAIMA,  a  settlement  of  locaima,  in  New  Granada,  containing  a 
small,  but  indefinite  population  of  Indians. 

ANTALIS,  a  barbarous  and  warlike  nation  of  Indians,  in  the  kingdom 
of  Chile,  to  the  west  of  Coquimbo.  They  valorously  opposed  the  pro 
gress  of  the  Inca  Yupanqui,  compelling  him,  in  the  end,  to  terminate 
his  conquests  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  Maule,  the  last  boundary  of 
Peru. 

ANTIQUITIES.     See  the  articles  Grave  Creek,  Marrietta,  Circleville,  &c. 

ANTHONY  ST.  ;  the  falls  of,  being  the  fourth  and  lowermost  of  the  per 
pendicular,  or  prominent  falls  of  the  Mississippi,  and  by  far  the  greatest. 

The  first  fall  of  this  stream  is  the  Kakabika,  situated  about  half  a  day's 
journey  below  Itasca  lake ;  the  second  is  called  Pukagama,  and  occurs  be- 


264  ETHNOLOGY. 

low  the  influx  of  the  Leech  lake  branch.  The  third  is  below  Elk  river 
and  is  passable  in  boats  and  canoes.  St.  Anthony's  is  the  most  consider 
able  of  the  series,  and  the  only  one  which  presents  an  abrupt  plunge  of 
the  stream  from  horizontal  rocks.  They  were  thus  named  by  Hennepin, 
about  1680.  By  the  Dacotah  Indians,  who  inhabit  the  country,  they  are 
called  Haha.  It  is  at  this  point,  that  the  Mississippi,  which  gathers  its 
waters  from  high  table  lands,  and  has  its  course,  for  several  hundreds  of 
miles,  through  diluvions  superimposed  on  the  primitive,  first  plunges  into 
the  great  secondary  formation.  For  more  than  a  thousand  miles,  in  ita 
way  southward,  its  banks  are  rendered  imposing  and  precipitous  by  this 
formation.  At  or  near  the  Grand  Tower,  and  its  adjunct  precipice,  on  the 
Missouri  shore,  this  formation  ceases,  and  the  river  enters  the  great  delta, 
which  still  confines  it,  for  a  like  distance,  before  it  expands  itself,  by  its 
bifurcations,  and  final  exit,  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  at  the  Balize. 

ANTONIO,  SAN.  The  following  statistical  facts,  denote  the  Indian  popu 
lation,  of  sundry  settlements,  bearing  this  name,  within  the  former  govern 
ment  of  New  Spain,  now  Mexico.  In  the  limits  of  Toliman,  32  families ; 
in  Tampolomon,  128  ;  in  Toluca  51 ;  in  Metepec  261  :  in  Coronango, 
44  ;  in  Huehuetlan,  140  ;  in  Chapala,  27. 

APACAHUND,  or  WHITE  EYES,  a  Delaware  chief  of  note,  of  the  era  of 
the  American  revolution,  who  is  frequently  mentioned  in  documents  of 
the  times. 

APACES,  SAN  JUAN  BAUTISTA  DE,  a  settlement  of  Zelaga  in  the  province 
and  bishopric  of  Mechoacan,  containing  135  Indian  families.  Another 
settlement,  of  the  same  name,  with  the  dedicatory  title  of  Santa  Maria,  in 
the  district  of  Zitaguaro,  contains  24  families, 

APACHES,  a  nation  of  Indians,  located  between  the  Rio  del  Norte  and  the 
sources  of  the  Nuaces,  who  were  reported,  in  1817,  at  3,500.  In  an 
official  report  submitted  to  Congress,  in  1837,  their  numbers  (t  within 
striking  distance  of  the  western  frontier,"  are  vaguely  put  at,  20,280. 


APALLACHIANS  ;  a  nation  of  Indians  who  formerly  inhabited  the  ex 
treme  southern  portion  of  the  United  States,  and  have  left  their  name  in 
the  leading  range  of  the  Apallachian  mountains.  In  1539  De  Soto  found 
them  in  Florida,  a  term  at  that  era  comprehending  also  the  entire  area  of 
the  present  states  of  Alabama,  Mississippi,  Louisiana,  and  other  portions 
of  the  southern  territory.  They  were  numerous,  fierce,  and  valorous. 
They  were  clothed  in  the  skins  of  wild  beasts.  They  used  bows  and 
arrows,  clubs  and  spears.  They  did  not,  as  many  nations  of  barbarians  do, 
poison  their  darts.  They  were  temperate,  drinking  only  water.  They 
did  not  make  wars  on  slight  pretences,  or  for  avarice,  but  to  repress  at 
tacks,  or  remedy  injustice.  They  treated  their  prisoners  with  humanity, 
and  like  other  persons  of  their  households.  They  were  long  lived,  some 
persons  reaching  a  hundred  years.  They  worshipped  the  sun,  to  which 
they  sang  hymns,  morning  and  evening.  These  facts  are  to  be  gleaned 
from  the  narrative.  What  were  their  numbers,  how  far  they  extended 
their  jurisdiction,  what  were  their  affiliations  by  language,  customs,  and 
institutions  with  other  tribes,  cannot  be  accurately  decided.  Much  that 
is  said  of  their  civil  and  military  polity,  buildings,  ceremonies  and  other 
traits,  applies  to  the  Floridian  Indians  generally,  and  may  be  dismissed  as 
either  vague,  or  not  characteristic  of  the  Appalachians.  A  quarto  vol 
ume  was  published  in  London  in  1666,  by  John  Davies,  under  the  title 
of  a  "  History  of  the  Caribby  Indians,"  in  which  he  traces  the  caribs  of 
the  northern  groups  of  the  West  Indies,  to  the  Apallachians,  and  relates 
many  incidents,  and  narrates  a  series  of  surprising  wars  and  battles, 
reaching,  in  their  effects,  through  the  Mississippi  valley  up  to  the  great 
lakes,  which  have  the  appearance  of  fable.  How  much  of  this  account, 
which  speaks  of  "  cattle"  and  "herds,"  may  be  grafted  on  ancient  tra 
ditions,  it  is  impossible  to  tell.  There  are  some  proofs  of  such  an  an 
cient  civilisation  in  the  Ohio  valley  and  other  sections  of  the  country,  but 
they  are  unconnected  with  any  Indian  traditions,  which  have  survived, 
unless  we  consider  the  mounds  and  remains  of  antique  forts  as  monu 
mental  evidences  of  these  reputed  wars.  The  Lenapee  accounts  of  these 
ancient  wars  with  the  Tallagees  or  Allegewy,  may  be  thought  to  refer  to 
this  ancient  people,  who  had,  if  this  conjecture  be  correct,  extended 
their  dominion  to  the  middle  and  northern  latitudes  of  the  present  area 
of  the  United  States,  prior  to  the  appearance  of  the  Algonquin  and  Iro 
quies  races.  Mr.  Irving  has  suggested  the  name  of  Apallachia,  or  Alle 
gania,  derived  from  the  stock,  for  this  division  of  the  continent. 

265 


LANGUAGE. 

LECTURES  ON  THE  GRAMMATICAL  STRUCTURE 
OF  THE  INDIAN  LANGUAGE. 

THE  course  of  lectures,  of  which  the  following  are  part,  were  delivered 
before  the  St.  Mary's  committee  of  the  Algic  Society.  Two  of  them  only 
have  been  published.  They  are  here  continued  from  the  article  "  Indian 
Languages,"  at  page  202  of  the  "Narrative  of  the  Discovery  of  the  actual 
Source  of  the  Mississippi,  in  Itasca  Lake,"  published  by  the  Harpers,  in 
1834.  The  family  of  languages  selected  as  the  topic  of  inquiry,  is  the 
Algonquin.  All  the  examples  employed  are  drawn  from  that  particular 
type  of  it  which  is  called  Chippewa,  in  our  transactions  with  them,  but 
which  they  uniformly  pronounce  themselves,  Od-jib-wa.  These  terms 
are  employed  as  perfect  synonyms.  The  phrase  "  Odjibwa- Algonquin," 
wherever  it  occurs,  is  intended  to  link,  in  the  mind  of  the  inquirer,  the 
species  and  the  genus  (if  we  may  borrow  a  term  from  natural  history)  of 
the  language,  but  is  not  fraught  with,  or  intended  to  convey,  any  additional 
idea.  The  three  terms  relate  to  one  and  the  same  people. 


LECTURE    III. 

Observations  on  the  Adjective — Its  distinction  into  two  classes  denoted  by  the  presence 
or  absence  of  vitality — Examples  of  the  animates  and  inanimates — Mode  of  their 
conversion  into  substantives — How  pronouns  are  applied  to  these  derivatives,  and  the 
manner  of  forming  compound  terms  from  adjective  bases,  to  describe  the  various  natu 
ral  phenomena — The  application  of  these  principles  in  common  conversation,  and  in 
the  description  of  natural  and  artificial  objects — Adjectives  always  preserve  the  dis 
tinction  of  number — Numerals — Arithmetical  capacity  of  the  language — The  unit 
exists  in  duplicate. 

1.  It  has  been  remarked  that  the  distinction  of  words  into  animates  and 
inanimates,  is  a  principle  intimately  interwoven  throughout  the  structure 
of  the  language.  It  is,  in  fact,  so  deeply  imprinted  upon  its  grammatical 
forms,  and  is  so  perpetually  recurring,  that  it  may  be  looked  upon,  not 
only  as  forming  a  striking  peculiarity  of  the  language,  but  as  constituting 
the  fundamental  principle  of  its  structure,  from  which  all  other  rules  have 
derived  their  limits,  and  to  which  they  have  been  made  to  conform.  No 
class  of  words  appears  to  have  escaped  its  impress.  Whatever  concords 

266 


LANGUAGE. 


267 


other  laws  impose,  they  all  agree,  and  are  made  subservient  in  the  estab 
lishment  of  this. 

It  might  appear  to  be  a  useless  distinction  in  the  adjective,  when  the 
substantive  is  thus  marked  ;  but  it  will  be  recollected  that  it  is  in  the 
plural  of  the  substantive  only,  that  the  distinction  is  marked.  And  we 
shall  presently  have  occasion  to  show,  that  redundancy  of  forms,  are,  to 
considerable  extent,  obviated  in  practice. 

For  the  origin  of  the  principle  itself,  we  need  look  only  to  nature,  which  en 
dows  animate  bodies  with  animate  properties  and  qualities,  and  vice  versa. 
But  it  is  due  to  the  tribes  who  speak  this  language,  to  have  invented  one  set  of 
adjective  symbols  to  express  the  ideas  peculiarly  appropriate  to  the  former, 
and  another  set  applicable,  exclusively,  to  the  latter ;  and  to  have  given 
the  words  good  and  bad,  black  and  white,  great  and  small,  handsome  and 
ugly,  such  modifications  as  are  practically  competent  to  indicate  the  ge 
neral  nature  of  the  objects  referred  to,  whether  provided  with,  or  destitute 
of  the  vital  principle.  And  not  only  so,  but  by  the  figurative  use  of 
these  forms,  to  exalt  inanimate  masses  into  the  class  of  living  beings,  or 
to  strip  the  latter  of  the  properties  of  life — a  principle  of  much  importance 
to  their  public  speakers. 

This  distinction  is  shown  in  the  following  examples,  in  which  it  will  be 
observed,  that  the  inflection  izzi,  generally  denotes  the  personal,  and  an, 
w?&,  or  wud)  the  impersonal  forms. 


Adj: 
Bad 

Inanimate. 
Monaud               ud 

Adj  :  Animate. 
Monaud               izzi. 

Ugly 

Beautiful 
Strong 
Soft 

Gushkoonaug   wud 
Bishegaindaug  wud 
Song                    un 
Nok                     un 

Gushkoonaug   oozzi 
Bishegaindaug  oozzi. 
Song                    izzi. 
Nok                     izzi. 

Hard 

Mushkow             au 

Mushkow            izzi. 

Smooth 

Shoiskw               au 

Shoisk               oozzi. 

Black 

Mukkuddaw        au 

Mukkuddaw        izzi. 

White 

Waubishk            au 

Waubishk            izzi. 

Yellow 

Ozahw                au 

Ozahw                 izzi. 

Red 

Miskw                 au 

Miskw                  izzi. 

Blue 

Ozhahwushkw    au 

Ozhahwushkw     izzi. 

Sour 

Sheew                  un 

Sheew                  izzi. 

Sweet 

Weeshkob           un 

Weeshkob           izzi. 

Light 

Naung                un 

Naung                 izzi. 

It  is  not,  however,  in  all  cases,  by  mere  modifications  of  the  adjective, 
-hat  these  distinctions  are  expressed.  Words  totally  different  in  sound, 
and  evidently  derived  from  radically  different  roots,  are,  in  some  few  instan 
ces,  employed,  as  in  the  following  examples : 


268  LANGUAGE. 


Adj  :  Inanimate. 

Adj  :  Animate. 

Good 

Onisheshin 

Minno. 

Bad 

Monaudud 

Mudjee. 

Large 

Mitshau 

Mindiddo. 

Small 

Pungee 

Uggaushi. 

Old 

Geekau 

Gitizzi. 

It  may  be  remarked  of  these  forms,  that  although  the  impersonal  will,  in 
some  instances,  take  the  personal  inflections,  the  rule  is  not  reciprocated,  and 
minno,  and  mindiddo,  and  gitizzi,  and  all  words  similarly  situated,  remain 
unchangeably  animates.  The  word  pungee,  is  limited  to  the  expression 
of  quantity,  and  its  correspondent  uggaushi,  to  size,  or  quality.  Kishe- 
da,  (hot)  is  restricted  to  the  heat  of  a  fire  ;  keezhauta,  to  the  heat  of  the 
sun.  There  is  still  a  third  term  to  indicate  the  natural  heat  of  the  body7 
Kizzizoo.  Mitshau  (large)  is  generally  applied  to  countries,  lakes,  riv 
ers,  &c.  Mindiddo,  to  the  body,  and  gitshee,  indiscriminately.  Onishi- 
shin,  and  its  correspondent  onishishsha,  signify,  handsome  or  fair,  as  well 
as  good.  Kwonaudj  a.  a.  and  kwonaudj  ewun  a.  i.  mean,  strictly,  hand 
some,  and  imply  nothing  further.  Minno,  is  the  appropriate  personal 
form  for  good.  Mudgee  and  monaudud,  may  reciprocally  change  gen 
ders,  the  first  by  the  addition  of  i-e-e,  and  the  second  by  altering  ud  to 
izzi. 

Distinctions  of  this  kind  are  of  considerable  importance  in  a  practical 
point  of  view,  and  their  observance  or  neglect,  are  noticed  with  scrupulous 
exactness  by  the  Indians.  The  want  of  inanimate  forms  to  such  words  as 
happy,  sorrowful,  brave,  sick  &c.  creates  no  confusion,  as  inanimate  nouns 
cannot,  strictly  speaking,  take  upon  themselves  such  qualities,  and  when 
they  do — as  they  sometimes  do,  by  one  of  those  extravagant  figures  of 
speech,  which  are  used  in  their  tales  of  transformations,  the  animate  forms 
answer  all  purposes.  For  in  these  tales  the  whole  material  creation  may 
be  clothed  with  animation.  The  rule,  as  exhibited  in  practice,  is  limited, 
with  sufficient  accuracy,  to  the  boundaries  prescribed  by  nature. 

To  avoid  a  repetition  of  forms,  were  the  noun  and  the  adjective  both  to 
be  employed  in  their  usual  relation,  the  latter  is  endowed  with  a  pronomi 
nal,  or  substantive  inflection.  And  the  use  of  the  noun,  in  its  separate 
form,  is  thus  wholly  superceded.  Thus  onishishin,  a.  i.  and  onishishshay 
a.  a.  become  Wanishishing,  that  which  is  good,  or  fair,  and  Wanish- 
ishid,  he  who  is  good  or  fair.  The  following  examples  will  exhibit  this 
rule,  under  each  of  its  forms. 

Compound  or  Noun- Adjective  Animate. 

Black  Mukkuddaw  izzi  Makuddaw  izzid. 

White  Waubishk      izzi  Wyaubishk  izzid. 

Yellow  Ozahw  izzi  Wazauw      izzid. 

Red  Miskw  izzi  Mashk       oozzid. 

Strong  Song  izzi  Song-  izzid. 


LANGUAGE. 

Noun- Adjective  Inanimate. 

Black  Mukkuddaw  au  Mukkuddaw  aug. 

White  Waubishk      au  Wyaubishk     aug. 

Yellow  Ozahw  au  Wazhauw      aug. 

Red  Mishkw          au  Mishkw          aug. 

The  animate  forms  in  these  examples  will  be  recognized,  as  exhibiting 
a  further  extension  of  the  rule,  mentioned  in  the  preceding  chapter,  by 
which  substantives  are  formed  from  the  indicative  of  the  verb  by  a  permu 
tation  of.  the  vowels.  And  these  forms  are  likewise  rendered  plural  in 
the  manner  there  mentioned.  They  also  undergo  changes  to  indicate  the 
various  persons.  For  instance  onishisha  is  thus  declined  to  mark  the 
person. 

Wanishish-eyaun  I  (am)  good,  or  fair. 

Wanishish-eyun  Thou  (art)  good,  or  fair. 

Wanishish-id  He  (is)  good  or  fair. 

Wanishish-eyang  We  (are)  good  or  fair  (ex.) 

Wanishish-eyung  We  (are)  good  a  fair  (in.) 

Wanishish-eyaig  Ye  (are)  good  or  fair. 

Wanishish-idigj  They  (are)  good  or  fair. 

The  inanimate  forms,  being  without  person,  are  simply  rendered  plural 
by  in,  changing  maiskwaug,  to  maiskwaug-in.  &c.  &c.  The  verbal  sig 
nification  which  these  forms  assume,  as  indicated  in  the  words  am,  art,  is, 
are,  is  to  be  sought  in  the  permutative  change  of  the  first  syllable.  Thus 
o  is  changed  to  wa,  muk  to  mak,  waub  to  wy-aub,  ozau  to  wazau,  misk 
to  maisk,  &c.  The  pronoun,  as  is  usual  in  the  double  compounds,  ia 
formed  wholly  by  the  inflections  eyaun,  eyun,  &c. 

The  strong  tendency  of  the  adjective  to  assume  a  personal,  or  pronom- 
ico-substantive  form,  leads  to  the  employment  of  many  words  in  a  par 
ticular,  or  exclusive  sense.  And  in  any  future  practical  attempts  with  the 
language,  it  wilt  be  found  greatly  to  facilitate  its  acquisition  if  the  adjec 
tives  are  arranged  in  distinct  classes,  separated  by  this  characteristic  prin 
ciple  of  their  application.  The  examples  we  have  given  are  chiefly  those 
which  may  be  considered  strictly  animate,  or  inanimate,  admit  of  double 
forms,  and  are  of  general  use.  Many  of  the  examples  recorded  in  the 
original  manuscripts  employed  in  these  lectures,  are  of  a  more  concrete 
character,  and,  at  the  same  time,  a  more  limited  use.  Thus  shaugwewe, 
is  a  weak  person,  nokaugumme,  a  weak  drink,  nokaugwud,  a  weak,  or 
soft  piece  of  wood.  Sussagau,  is  fine,  but  can  only  be  applied  to  per 
sonal  appearance  :  beesau,  indicates  fine  grains.  Keewushkwa  is  giddy, 
and  keewushkwabee,  giddy  with  drink,  both  being  restricted  to  the  third 
person.  Songun  and  songizzi,  are  the  personal  and  impersonal  forms  of 
strong,  as  given  above.  But  Mushkowaugumme,  is  strong  drink.  In 
like  manner  the  two  words  for  hard,  as  above,  are  restricted  to  solid  sub* 


270  LANGUAGE. 

stances.  Sunnuhgud  is  hard  (to  endure,)  waindud,  is  easy  (to  perform.) 
Songedaa  is  brave,  Shaugedaa  cowardly,  keezhinzhowizzi,  active,  kizhe- 
kau,  swift,  onaunegoozzi  lively,  minwaindum  happy,  gushkwaindum,  sor 
rowful,  but  all  these  forms  are  confined  to  the  third  person  of  the  indica 
tive,  singular.  Pibbigwau,  is  a  rough  or  knotted  substance.  Pubbiggo- 
ozzi,  a  rough  person.  Keenwau  is  long,  or  tall,  (any  solid  mass.)  Kay- 
nozid  is  a  tall  person.  Tahkozid  a  short  person.  Wassayau  is  light ; 
wassaubizzoo,  the  light  of  the  eye ;  wasshauzha,  the  light  of  a  star,  or  any 
luminous  body.  Keenau  is  sharp,  keenaubikud,  a  sharp  knife,  or  stone. 
Keezhaubikeday,  is  hot  metal,  a  hot  stove,  &c.  Keezhaugummeda,  is  hot 
water.  Aubudgeeton,  is  useful, — a  useful  thing.  Wauweeug  is  frivolous, 
any  thing  frivolous  in  word,  or  deed.  Tubbushish,  appears  to  be  a  gene 
ral  term  for  low.  Ishpimming  is  high  in  the  air.  Ishpau,  is  applied  to 
any  high  fixture,  as  a  house,  &c.  Ishpaubikau  is  a  high  rock.  Taush- 
kaubikau,  a  split  rock. 

These  combinations  and  limitations  meet  the  inquirer  at  every  step. 
They  are  the  current  phrases  of  the  language.  They  present  short, 
ready,  and  often  beautiful  modes  of  expression.  But  as  they  shed  light, 
both  upon  the  idiom  and  genius  of  the  language,  I  shall  not  scruple  to  add 
further  examples  and  illustrations.  Ask  a  Chippewa,  the  name  for  rock, 
and  he  will  answer  awzhebik.  The  generic  import  of  aubik,  has  been  ex 
plained.  Ask  him  the  name  for  red  rock,  and  he  will  answer  miskwau- 
bik, — for  white  rock,  and  he  will  answer  waubaubik,  for  black  rock 
mukkuddawaubik, — for  yellow  rock,  ozahwaubik, — for  green  rock,  oz- 
hahwushkwaubik, — for  bright  rock,  wassayaubik,  for  smooth  rock,  shois- 
hkwaubik,  &c.  compounds  in  which  the  words  red,  white,  black,  yellow, 
<fec.  unite  with  aubik.  Pursue  this  inquiry  and  the  following  forms  will 
be  elicited. 

Impersonal. 

Miskwaubik-ud.  It  (is)  a  red  rock. 

Waubaubik-ud.  It  (is)  a  white  rock. 

Mukkuddawaubik-ud.  It  (is)  a  black  rock. 

Ozahwaubik-ud.  It  (is)  a  yellow  rock. 

Wassayaubik-ud.  It  (is)  a  bright  rock. 

Shoiskwaubik-ud.  It  (is)  a  smooth  rock. 

Personal. 

Miskwaubik-izzi.  He  (is)  a  red  rock, 

Waubaubik-izzi.  He  (is)  a.  white  rock. 

Mukkuddawaubik-izzi.  He  (is)  a  black  rock. 

Ozahwaubik-izzi.  He  (is)  a  yellow  rock. 

Wassayaubik-izzi.  He  (is)  a  bright  rock. 

Shoiskvvaubik-izzi.  He  (is)  a  smooth  rock. 

Add  bun  to  these  terms,  and  they  are  made  to  have  passed  away, — pre- 


LANGUAGE.  271 

fix  tah  to  them,  and  their  future  appearance  is  indicated.  The  word  "is" 
in  the  translations,  although  marked  with  brackets,  is  not  deemed  wholly 
gratuitous.  There  is,  strictly  speaking,  an  idea  of  existence  given  to  these 
compounds,  by  the  particle  au  in  aubic,  which  seems  to  be  indirectly  a 
derivative  from  that  great  and  fundamental  root  of  the  language  iau.  Bik, 
is,  apparently,  the  radix  of  the  expression  for  "  rock." 

Let  this  mode  of  interrogation  be  continued,  and  extended  to  other  ad 
jectives,  or  the  same  adjectives  applied  to  other  objects,  and  results  equally 
regular  and  numerous  will  be  obtained.  Minnis,  we  shall  be  told,  is  an 
island  :  miskominnis,  a  red  island  ;  mukkaddaminnis,  a  black  island  ;  wau- 
beminnis,  a  white  island,  &c.  Annokvvut,  is  a  cloud  ;  miskwaunakwut,  a 
red  cloud  ;  mukkuddawukwut,  a  black  cloud ;  waubahnokwut,  a  white 
cloud  ;  ozahwushkwahnokwut,  a  blue  cloud,  &c.  Neebe  is  the  specific 
term  for  water  5  but  is  not  generally  used  in  combination  with  the  adjec 
tive.  The  word  guma,  like  aubo,  appears  to  be  a  generic  term  for  water, 
or  potable  liquids.  Hence  the  following  terms  : — 

Gitshee,  Great.  Gitshiguma,  Great  water 

Nokun,  Weak.  Nokauguma,  Weak  drink. 

Mushkowau,    Strong.  Mushkowauguma,  Strong  drink. 

Weeshkobun,  Sweet.  Weeshkobauguma,  Sweet  drink. 

Sheewun,         Sour.  Sheewauguma,        Sour  drink. 

Weesugun,      Bitter.  Weesugauguma,     Bitter  drink. 

Minno,  Good.  Minwauguma,         Good  drink. 

Monaudud,      Bad.  Mahnauguma,          Bad  drink. 

Miskwau,        Red.  Miskwauguma,        Red  drink. 

Ozahwau,        Yellow.  Ozahwauguma,        Yellow  drink. 

Weenun,          Dirty.  Weenauguma,          Dirty  water. 

Peenud,  Clear.  Peenauguma,  Clear  Water. 

From  minno,  and  from  monaudud,  good  and  bad,  are  derived  the  fol 
lowing  terms.  Minnopogwud,  it  tastes  well;  minnopogoozzi,  he  tastes 
well.  Mauzhepogwud,  it  tastes  bad  ;  mawzhepogoozzi,  he  tastes  bad. 
Minnomaugwud,  it  smells  good  ;  minnomaugoozzi,  he  smells  good  ;  mag- 
ghemaugawud,  it  smells  bad  ;  mawhernaugoozzi,  he  smells  bad.  The  in 
flections  gwud,  and  izzi,  here  employed,  are  clearly  indicative,  as  in  other 
combinations,  of  the  words  it  and  him. 

Baimwa  is  sound.  Baimwawa,  the  passing  sound.  Minwawa,  a 
pleasant  sound.  Minwawa,  a  pleasant  sound.  Maunwawa,  a  disagree 
able  sound.  Mudwayaushkau,  the  sound  of  waves  dashing  on  the  shore. 
Mudwayaunnemud,  the  sound  of  winds.  Mudway  au  kooskau,  the 
sound  of  falling  trees.  Mudwakumigishin,  the  sound  of  a  person  falling 
upon  the  earth.  Mudwaysin,  the  sound  of  any  inanimate  mass  falling  on 
the  earth.  These  examples  might  be  continued  ad  infinitum.  Every  mo 
dification  of  circumstances — almost  every  peculiarity  of  thought  is  ex- 


272 


LANGUAGE. 


pressed  by  some  modification  of  the  orthography.  Enough  has  been  give* 
to  prove  that  the  adjective  combines  itself  with  the  substantive,  the  verb 
and  the  pronoun — that  the  combinations  thus  produced  are  numerous, 
afford  concentrated  modes  of  conveying  ideas,  and  oftentimes  happy  terms 
of  expression.  Numerous  and  prevalent  as  these  forms  are,  they  do  not, 
however,  preclude  the  use  of  adjectives  in  their  simple  forms.  The  use 
of  the  one>  or  of  the  other  appears  to  be  generally  at  the  option  of  the 
speaker.  In  most  cases  brevity  or  euphony  dictates  the  choice.  Usage 
results  from  the  application  of  these  principles.  There  may  be  rules  rest 
ing  upon  a  broader  basis,  but  if  so,  they  do  not  appear  to  be  very  obvious. 
Perhaps  the  simple  adjectives  are  oftenest  employed  before  verbs  and  nouns, 
in  the  first  and  second  persons  singular. 


I  have  slept  well. 

I  have  eaten  a  good  meal. 

I  have  walked  well,  or  a  good  distance 

It  (is)  a  very  pleasant  day. 

I  have  a  handsome  garment 

Are  you  well  ? 

What  ails  you  ? 

J  God  prosper  you. 


Ningee  minno  neebau-nabun, 
Ningee  minno  weesin, 
Ningee  minno  pimmoossay, 
Kagat  minno  geeghigud, 
Kwunaudj  ningodahs, 
Ke  minno  iau  nuh  ? 
Auneende  ain  deyun  ? 
Keezhamonedo    aupadushsha* 

wainenik, 
Aupadush   Shawaindaugoozze-  i 

yun,  * 

Aupadush  nau  kinwainzh  pirn- 

maudizziyun, 
Onauneegoozzin, 
Ne  miuwaindum  waubumaun, 
Kwanaudj   Kweeweezains, 
Kagat  Songeedaa, 
Kagat  onishishsha, 
Gitshee  kinozee, 
Uggausau  bawizzi, 
Gitshee  sussaigau, 
Bishegaindaugooziwug     meeg-  i 

wunug,  \ 

Ke  daukoozzinuh  ?  Are  you  sick. 

Monaudud  maundun  muskeekee,  This  (is)  bad  medicine. 
Monaudud  aindauyun,  My  place  of  dwelling  (is)  bad. 

Aindauyaun  mitshau,  My  place  of  dwelling  is  large. 

Ne  mittigwaub  onishishsha,  My  bow  (is)  good. 

Ne  bikwukon  monaududon,          But  my  arrows  (are)  bad. 
Ne    minwaindaun    appaukooz- 

xegun. 


you. 

May  you  live  long. 
Be  (thou)  cheerful 
I  (am)  glad  to  see  you. 
A  pretty  boy. 
He  (is)  a  brave  man. 
She  (is)  handsome. 
He  (is)  very  tall. 
She  (is)  slender. 
He  (is)  fine  dressed. 

beautiful  feathers. 


>  I  love  mild,  or  mixed,  tobacca 


LANGUAGE.  373 

Kauweekau  neezbikay  ussa- 


mau  ne  sugguswaunausee,     But  Z  never  smoke  Pure  tolacco- 

Monaudud  maishkowaugumig,  Strong  drink  (is)  bad. 
Keeguhgee  baudjeegonaun,       It  makes  us  foolish. 


Gitshee  Monedo  nebee  ogee  ')  rr 

T  >  1  he  Great  Spirit  made 


T 
ozneton 


water. 


Inineewug  dush  ween  ishkada-  )  „ 
waubo  ogeo  ozhetonahvvaun.  |B  ut  man  made 

These  expressions  are  put  down  promiscuously,  embracing  verbs  and 
aouns  as  they  presented  themselves  ;  and  without  any  effort  to  support  the 
opinion  —  which  may,  or  may  not  be  correct  —  that  the  elementary  forms 
of  the  adjectives  are  most  commonly  required  before  verbs  and  nouns  in 
the  first  and  second  persons.  The  English  expression  is  thrown  into  In 
dian  in  the  most  natural  manner,  and  of  course,  without  always  giving 
adjective  for  adjective,  or  noun  for  noun.  Thus,  God  is  rendered,  not 
"  Monedo,"  but,  «  Geezha  Monedo,"  Merciful  Spirit.  Good  luck,  is  ren 
dered  by  the  compound  phrase  "  Shawaindaugoozzeyun,"  indicating,  in  a 
very  general  sense  the  influence  of  kindness  or  benevolence  on  success  in 
life.  "  Songedaa  is  a]one,  a  brave  man  ;  and  the  word  "  Kagat,"  prefixed, 
is  an  adverb.  In  the  expression  "  mild  tobacco,"  the  adjective  is  entirely 
dispensed  with  in  the  Indian,  the  sense  being  sufficiently  rendered  by  the 
compound  noun  "appaukoozzegun,"  which  always  means  the  Indian 
weed,  or  smoking  mixture.  "  Ussamau,"  on  the  contrary,  without  the 
adjective,  signifies,  "  pure  tobacco."  *•<•  Bikwakon,"  signifies  blunt,  or 
lumpy-headed  arrows.  Assowaun  is  the  barbed  arrow.  Kwonaudj 
kweevveezains,  means,  not  simply  "  pretty  boy,"  but  pretty  little  boy  ;  and 
there  is  no  mode  of  using  the  word  boy  but  in  this  diminutive  form  —  the 
the  word  itself  being  a  derivative,  from  kewewe,  conjugal  with  the  regular 
diminutive  in  ains.  f;  Onaunegoozzin"  embraces  the  pronoun,  verb  and 
adjective,  be  thou  cheerful.  In  the  last  phrase  of  the  examples,  "  man,"  is 
rendered  men  (inineewug)  in  the  translation,  as  the  term  man  cannot  be 
employed  in  the  general  plural  sense  it  conveys  in  this  connection,  in  the 
original.  The  word  "  whiskey,"  is  rendered  by  the  compound  phrase 
ishkodawaubo,  literally,  fine-liquor,  a  generic  for  all  kinds  of  ardent 
spirits. 

These  aberrations  from  the  literal  term,  will  convey  some  conceptions 
of  the  difference  of  the  two  idioms,  although,  from  the  limited  nature  and 
object  of  the  examples,  they  will  not  indicate  the  full  extent  of  this  differ 
ence.  In  giving  any  thing  like  the  spirit  of  the  original,  much  greater  de 
viations,  in  the  written  forms,  must  appear.  And  in  fact,  not  only  the 
structure  of  the  language,  but  the  mode  and  order  of  thought  of  the  Indians 
is  so  essentially  different,  that  any  attempts  to  preserve  the  English  idiom 
—  to  give  letter  for  letter,  and  word  for  word,  must  go  far  to  render  the 

translation  pure  nonsense. 

18 


274 


LANGUAGE. 


2.  Varied  as  the  adjective  is,  in  its  changes  it  has  no  comparative  in 
flection.  A  Chippewa  cannot  say  that  one  substance  is  hotter  or  colder 
than  another  ;  or  of  two  or  more  substances  unequally  heated,  that  this,  or 
that  is  the  hottest  or  coldest,  without  employing  adverbs,  or  accessory  ad 
jectives.  And  it  is  accordingly  by  adverbs,  and  accessory  adjectives,  that 
the  degrees  of  comparison  are  expressed. 

Pimmaudizziwin,  is  a  very  general  substantive  expression,  in  indicating 
the  tenor  of  being  or  life.  Izzhewabizziwin,  is  a  term  near  akin  to  it,  but 
more  appropriately  applied  to  the  acts,  conduct,  manner,  or  personal  deport 
ment  of  life.  Hence  the  expressions : 

Nin  bimmaudizziwin,  My  tenor  of  life. 

Ke  bimmaudizziwin,  Thy  tenor  of  life. 

O  Pimmaudizziwin,  His  tenor  of  life,  &c. 

Nin  dizekewabizziwin,  My  personal  deportment. 

Ke  dizhewabizziwin,  Thy  personal  deportment. 

O  Izzhewabizziwin,  His  personal  deportment,  &c. 

To  form  the  positive  degree  of  comparison  for  these  terms  minno,  good, 
and  mudjee,  bad,  are  introduced  between  the  pronoun  and  verb,  giving 
rise  to  some  permutations  of  the  vowels  and  consonants,  which  affect  the 
sound  only.  Thus  : — 

Ne  minno  pimmaudizziwin,  My  good  tenor  of  life. 

Ke  minno  pimmaudizziwin,  Thy  good  tenor  of  life. 

Minno  pimmaudizziwin,  His  good  tenor  of  life. 

Ne  mudjee  pimmaudizziwin,  My  bad  tenor  of  life. 

Ke  mudjee  pimmaudizziwin,  Thy  bad  tenor  of  life. 

Mudjee  pimmaudizziwin,  His  bad  tenor  of  life. 

To  place  these  forms  in  the  comparative  degree,  nahwudj,  more,  is  pre 
fixed  to  the  adjective  ;  and  the  superlative  is  denoted  by  mahmowee,  an  ad 
verb,  or  an  adjective  as  it  is  variously  applied,  but  the  meaning  of  which, 
is,  in  this  connexion,  most.  The  degrees  of  comparison  may  be  therefore 
set  down  as  follows  : — 

Positive,       Kisheda,  Hot,  (restricted  to  the  heat  of  a  fire.) 

Comp.          Nahwudj  Kisheda,   More  hot. 
Super.          Mahmowee  Kisheda,  Most  hot. 

Your  manner  of  life  is  good,  Ke  dizzihewabizziwin  onishishin. 

{  Ke  dizzhevvabizziwin  nahwudj  onis- 
Your  manner  of  life  is  better,          ^          hishin. 

^  Ke  dizzhewabizziwin  mahmowe6 
Your  manner  ofhfe  is  best,          j         onishishin. 

(  Odizzhewabizziwin  mahmowee  onish- 
His  manner  of  life  is  best,  ... 

/          ishinme. 

Little  Turtle  was  brave,  Mikkenokons  songedaabun. 


LANGUAGE. 


275 


Tecurnseh  was  braver,  Tecumseh  nahwidj  songedaabun. 

Pontiac  was  bravest,  Pontiac  mahmowee  songedaabun. 

3.  The  adjective  assumes  a  negative  form  when  it  is  preceeded  by  the 
adverb.  Thus  the  phrase  songedaa,  he  is  brave,  is  changed  to,  Kah- 
ween  songedaasee,  he  is  not  brave. 


Positive. 
Neebwaukahj 

Ho  is  wise. 
Kwonaudjewe, 

She  is  handsome, 
Oskineegee, 

He  is  young. 
Shaugweewee, 

He  is  feeble. 
Geekkau, 

He  is  old. 
Mushkowizzi, 

He  is  strong. 


Negative. 
Kah  ween  neebwaukah-see, 

He  is  not  wise. 
Kahween  kwonaudj ewe-see. 

She  is  not  handsome. 
Kahween  oskineegee-see. 

He  is  not  young. 
Kahween  Shaugweewee-see, 

He  is  not  feeble. 
Kahween  Geekkau-see, 

He  is  not  old. 
Kahween  Mushkowizzi-see, 


He  is  not  strong. 

From  this  rule  the  indeclinable  adjectives — by  which  is  meant  those  ad- 
j«sctives  which  do  not  put  on  the  personal  and  impersonal  forms  by  inflec 
tion,  but  consist  of  radically  different  roots — form  exceptions. 


Ke  dahkoozzi  nuh  ? 

Kahween  ke  dahkoozzi-see ! 

Ne  minwaindum. 

Kahween  ne  minwuinduz-see 

Mudjee  izzhewabizzi. 

Kahween  mudjee  a  izzhewabizzirsee. 

Mitshau  muggud. 

Kahween  mitshau-seenon. 


Are  you  sick  ? 

You  are  not  sick  ! 

I  am  happy. 

I  am  unhappy. 

His  manner  of  life  is  bajd. 

His  manner  of  life  is  not  bad. 

It  is  large. 

It  is  not  large. 

In  these  examples  the  declinable  adjectives  are  rendered  negative  in  see. 
The  indeclinable,  remain  as  simple  adjuncts  to  the  verbs,  and  the  latter 
put  on  the  negative  form. 

4.  In  the  hints  and  remarks  which  have  now  been  furnished  respect 
ing  the  Chippewa  adjective,  its  powers  and  inflections  have  been  shown, 
to  run  parallel  with  those  of  the  substantive,  in  its  separation  into  animates 
and  inanimates, — in  having  the  pronominal  inflections, — in  taking  an  in 
flection  for  tense — (a  topic,  which,  by  the  way,  has  been  very  cursorily 
passed  over,)  and  in  the  numerous,  modifications  to  form  the  compounds. 
This  parallelism  has  also  been  intimated  to  hold  good  with  respect  to 
number — a  subject  deeply  interesting  in  itself,  as  it  has  its  analogy  only  in 
the  ancient  languages,  and  it  was  therefore  deemed  best  to  defer  giving  ex 
amples  till  they  could  be  introduced  without  abstracting  the  attention  from 
other  points  of  discussion. 


276  LANGUAGE. 

Minno  and  mudjee,  good  and  bad,  being  of  the  limited  number  of  per 
sonal  adjectives,  which  modern  usage  permits  being  applied,  although 
often  improperly  applied,  to  inanimate  objects,  they  as  well  as  a  few  other 
adjectives,  form  exceptions  to  the  use  of  number.  Whether  we  say  a  good 
man  or  a  bad  man,  good  men  or  bad  men,  the  words  minno  and  mudjee, 
remain  the  same.  But  all  the  declinable  and  coalescing  adjectives — adjec 
tives  which  join  on,  and,  as  it  were,  melt  into  the  body  of  the  substantive, 
take  the  usual  plural  inflections,  and  are  governed  by  the  same  rules  in 
regard  to  their  use,  as  the  substantive,  personal  adjectives  requiring  per 
sonal  plurals,  &c. 

Adjectives  Animate. 

Singular. 

Onishishewe  mishemin,  Good  apple. 

Kwonaudjewe  eekwa,  Handsome  woman. 

Songedaa  inine,  Brave  man. 

Bishegaindaugoozzi  peenasee,      Beautiful  bird. 
Ozahwizzi  ahmo,  Yellow  bee. 

Plural 

Onishishewe-wug  mishemin-ug,  Good  apples. 

Kwonaudjewe-wug  eekwa-wug,  Handsome  women. 

Songedaa-wug  inine-wug,  Brave  men. 

Bishegaindaugoozzi-wug  peenasee-wug,  Beautiful  birds. 
Ozahwizzi-wug  ahm-6g,  Yellow  bees. 

Adjectives  Inanimate. 

Singular. 

Onishishin  mittig,  Good  tree. 

Kwonaudj  tshemaun,  Handsome  canoe. 

Monaudud  ishkoda,  Bad  fire. 

Weeshkobun  aidetaig,  Sweet  fruit. 

Plural 

Onishishin-6n  mittig-6n,  Good  trees. 

Kwonaudjewun-6n  tshemaun-un,        Handsome  canoes. 
Monaudud-6n  ishkod-an,  Bad  fires. 

Weeshkobun-6n  aidetaig-in,  Sweet  fruits. 

Peculiar  circumstances  are  supposed  to  exist,  in  order  to  render  the 
iL3e  of  the  adjective,  in  this  connexion  with  the  noun,  necessary  and 
proper.  But  in  ordinary  instances,  as  the  narration  of  events,  the  noun 
would  precede  the  adjective,  and  oftentimes,  particularly  where  a  second 
allusion  to  objects  previously  named  became  necessary,  the  compound  ex 
pressions  would  be  used.  Thus  instead  of  saying  the  yellow  bee,  way- 
zahwizzid,  would  distinctly  convey  the  idea  of  that  insect,  had  the  species 
been  before  named.  Under  similar  circumstances  kainwaukoozzid,  agau- 


LANGUAGE.  277 

sheid  songaunemud,  mushkowaunemud,  would  respectively  signify,  a  tall 
tree,  a  small  fly,  a  strong  wind,  a  hard  wind.  And  these  terms  would  be 
come  plural  in  jig,  which,  as  before  mentioned,  is  a  mere  modification  of 
ig,  one  of  the  five  general  animate  plural  inflections  of  the  language. 

Kagat  wahwinaudj  abbenojeeug,  is  an  expression  indicating  they  are 
very  handsome  children.  Bubbeeweezheewug  monetosug,  denotes  small 
insects.  Minno  neewugizzi,  is  good  tempered,  he  is  good  tempered. 
Mawshininewugizzi,  is  bad  tempered,  both  having  their  plural  in  wug. 
Nin  nuneena.hwaindum,  I  am  lonesome.  Nin  nuneenahwaindaumin,  we 
(excluding  you)  are  lonesome.  Wavveea,  is  a  term  generally  usod  to 
express  the  adjective  sense  of  round.  Kwy,  is  the  scalp.  ( Weenikwy  his 
scalp.)  Hence  Weewukwon,  hat ;  Wayweewukwonid,  a  wearer  of  the 
hat ;  and  its  plural  Wayeewukwonidjig,  wearers  of  the  hats — the  usual 
term  applied  to  Europeans,  or  white  men  generally.  These  examples 
go  to  prove,  that  under  every  form  in  which  the  adjective  can  be  traced, 
whether  in  its  simplest  or  most  compound  state,  it  is  susceptible  of  number. 

The  numerals  of  the  language  are  converted  into  adverbs,  by  the  in 
flection  ing,  making  one,  once,  &c.  The  unit  exists  in  duplicate. 

Pazhik,  One,  general  unit;  4 

.    ,      .  [Aubeding,  Once. 
Ingoot,  One,  numerical  unit  5 

Neesh,  Two.  Neeshing,  Twice. 

Niswee,  Three.  Nissing,  Thrice. 

Neewin,  Four.  Neewing,  Four-times. 

Naunun,  Five.  Nauning,  Five-times. 

N'goodwaswa,  Six.  N'goodwautshing,  Six-times. 

Neeshwauswa,  Seven.          Neeshwautshing,  Seven-times. 

Shwauswe,  Eight.  Shwautshing,  Eight-times. 

Shongusswe,  Nine.  Shongutshing,  Nine-times. 

Meetauswee,  Ten.  Meetaushing,  Ten-times. 

These  inflections  can  be  carried  as  high  as  they  can  compute  numbers. 
They  count  decimally.  After  reaching  ten,  they  repeat,  ten  and  one,  ten 
and  two,  &c.  to  twenty.  Twenty  is  a  compound  signifying  two  tens, 
thirty,  three  tens,  &c.,  a  mode  which  is  carried  up  to  one  hundred  rigood- 
wak.  Wak,  then  becomes  the  word  of  denomination,  combining  with  the 
names  of  the  digits,  until  they  reach  a  thousand,  meetauswauk,  literally,  ten 
hundred.  Here  a  new  compound  term  is  introduced  made  by  prefixing 
twenty  to  the  last  denomination,  neshtonnah  duswak,  which  doubles  the 
last  term,  thirty  triples  it,  forty  quadruples  it,  &c.,  till  the  computation 
reaches  to  ten  thousand,  n'goodwak  dushing  n'goodwak,  one  hundred 
times  one  hundred.  This  is  the  probable  extent  of  all  certain  computation. 
The  term  Gitshee,  (great,)  prefixed  to  the  last  denomination,  leaves  the 
number  indefinite. 

There  is  no  form  of  the  numerals  corresponding  to  second,  third,  fourth, 
&c,  They  can  only  further  say,  nittum  first,  and  ishkwaudj,  last 


LECTURE    IV. 

Nature  and  principles  of  the  pronoun — Its  distinction  into  preformative  and  subfor 
mative  classes — Personal  pronouns — The  distinction  of  an  inclusive  and  exclusive  form 
in  the  number  of  the  first  person  plural — Modifications  of  the  personal  pronouns  to  im 
ply  existence,  individuality,  possession,  ownership,  position  and  other  accidents — Declen 
sion  of  pronouns  to  answer  the  purpose  of  the  auxiliary  verbs — Subformatives,  how 
employed,  to  mark  the  persons — Relative  pronouns  considered — Their  application  to  the 
causative  verbs — Demonstrative  pronouns — their  separation  into  two  classes,  animates 
and  inanimates — Example  of  their  use. 

PRONOUNS  are  buried,  if  we  may  so  say,  in  the  structure  of  the  verb. 
In  tracing  them  back  to  their  primitive  forms,  through  the  almost  infinite 
variety  of  modifications  which  they  assume,  in  connexion  with  the  verb, 
substantive  and  adjective,  it  will  facilitate  analysis,  to  group  them  into 
preformative  and  subformative,  which  include  the  pronominal  prefixes 
and  suffixes,  and  which  admit  of  the  further  distinction  of  separable  and 
inseparable.  By  separable  is  intended  those  forms,  which  have  a  mean 
ing  by  themselves,  and  are  thus  distinguished  from  the  inflective  and 
subformative  pronouns,  and  pronominal  particles  significant  only,  in  con 
nection  with  another  word. 

1.  Of  the  first  class,  are  the  personal  pronouns  Neen  (I,)  Keen  (thou,) 
and  Ween  or  O  (he  or  she.)  They  are  declined  to  form  the  plural  per 
sons  in  the  following  manner : 

I,  Neen.  We  Keen  owind  (in.) 

We  Neen  owind  (ex.) 

Thou,          Keen.  Ye  Keen  owau. 

He  or  She,  Ween  or  O.  They          Ween  owau. 

Here  the  plural  persons  are  formed  by  a  numerical  inflection  of  the 
singular.  The  double  plural  of  the  first  person,  of  which  both  the  rule 
and  examples  have  been  incidentally  given  in  the  remarks  on  the  substan 
tive,  is  one  of  those  peculiarities  of  the  language,  which  may,  perhaps, 
serve  to  aid  in  a  comparison  of  it,  with  other  dialects,  kindred  and  foreign. 
As  a  mere  ;onventional  agreement,  for  denoting  whether  the  person  ad 
dressed,  be  included,  or  excluded,  it  may  be  regarded  as  an  advantage  to 
the  language.  It  enables  the  speaker,  by  the  change  of  a  single  conso 
nant,  to  make  a  full  and  clear  discrimination,  and  relieves  the  narration 

278 


INDIAN    LANGUAGES.  279 

from  doubts  and  ambiguity,  where  doubts  and  ambiguity  would  otherwise 
often  exist.  On  the  other  hand,  by  accumulating  distinctions,  it  loads  the 
memory  with  grammatical  forms,  and  opens  a  door  for  improprieties  of 
speech.  We  are  not  aware  of  any  inconveniencies  in  the  use  of  a  gene 
ral  plural.  But  in  the  Indian  it  would  produce  confusion.  And  it  is 
perhaps  to  that  cautious  desire  of  personal  discrimination,  which  is  so  ap 
parent  in  the  structure  of  the  language,  that  we  should  look  for  the  rea 
son  of  the  duplicate  forms  of  this  word.  Once  established,  however,  and 
both  the  distinction,  and  the  necessity  of  a  constant  and  strict  attention  to 
it,  are  very  obvious  and  striking.  How  shall  he  address  the  Deity  ?  If 
he  say — "  Our  father  who  art  in  heaven"  the  inclusive  form  of  "  our" 
makes  the  Almighty  one  of  the  suppliants,  or  family.  If  he  use  the  ex 
clusive  form,  it  throws  him  out  of  the  family,  and  may  embrace  every  liv 
ing  being  but  the  Deity.  Yet,  neither  of  these  forms  can  be  used  well  in 
prayer,  as  they  cannot  be  applied  directly  to  the  object  addressed.  It  is 
only  when  speaking  of  the  Deity,  under  the  name  of  father,  to  other  per 
sons,  that  the  inclusive  and  exclusive  forms  of  the  word  "  our"  can  be 
used.  The  dilemma  may  be  obviated,  by  the  use  of  a  compound  descrip 
tive  phrase — Wa  6  se  mig  o  yun,  signifying — THOU  WHO  ART  THE  FA 
THER  OF  ALL.  Or,  universal  father. 

In  practice,  however,  the  question  is  cut  short,  by  those  persons  who 
have  embraced  Christianity.  It  has  seemed  to  them,  that  by  the  use  of 
either  of  the  foregoing  terms,  the  Deity  would  be  thrown  into  too  remote 
a  relation  to  them,  and  I  have  observed,  that,  in  prayer,  they  invariably  ad 
dress  Him,  by  the  term  used  by  children  for  the  father  of  a  family,  that  is, 
NOSA,  my  father. 

The  other  personal  pronouns  undergo  some  peculiar  changes,  when 
employed  as  preformatives  before  nouns  and  verbs,  which  it  is  important 
to  remark.  Thus  neen,  is  sometimes  rendered  ne  or  nin,  and  sometimes 
nim.  Keen,  is  rendered  ke  or  kin.  In  compound  words  the  mere  signs 
of  the  first  and  second  pronouns,  N  and  K,  are  employed.  The  use  of 
ween  is  limited  ;  and  the  third  person,  singular  and  plural,  is  generally  in 
dicated  by  the  sign,  O. 

The  particle  suh  added  to  the  complete  forms  of  the  disjunctive  pro 
nouns,  imparts  a  verbal  sense  to  them  ;  and  appears  in  this  instance,  to  be 
a  succedaneum  for  the  substantive  verb.  Thus  Neen,  I,  becomes  Neensuh, 
it  is  I.  Keen,  thou,  becomes  Keensuh,  it  is  thou,  and  Ween,  he  or  she, 
Weensuh,  it  is  he  or  she.  This  particle  may  also  be  added  to  the  plural 
forms. 

Keenowind  suh.  It  is  we  (in.) 

Neenowind  suh.  It  is  we  (ex.) 

Keenowa  suh.  It  is  ye,  or  you. 

Wep.nowau  suh.  It  is  they. 


280  INDIAN    LANGUAGES. 

If  the  word  aittah  be  substituted  for  suh^  a  set  of  adverbial  phrases  are 
formed. 

Neen  aittah  wind,     We  &c.  (ei.. } 
Neen  aittah,     I  only.  T^  ^,T 

Keen  aittah  wind,     We  &c.  (11-.) 

Keen  aittah,     Thou  only.  Keen  aittah  wau,      You  &.c. 

Ween  aittah,    He  or  she  only.  Ween  aittah  wau,      They  &c. 

In  like  manner  nittum  first,  and  ishkwaudj  last,  give  rise  to  the  follow 
ing  arrangement  of  the  pronoun  : 

Neen  nittum,  I  first. 

Keen  nittum.  You  or  thou  first. 

Ween  nittum,  He  or  she  first. 

Keen  nittum  ewind,  We  first,  (in.) 

Neen  nittum  ewind,  We  first,  (ex.) 

Keen  nittum  ewau,  Ye  or  you  first. 

Ween  nittum  ewau,  They  first. 

ISHKWAUDJ. 

Neen  ishkwaudj,  I  last, 

Keen  ishkwaudj,  Thou  last. 

Ween  ishkwandj,  He  or  she  last. 

Keenowind  ishkwaudj,  We  last  (in.) 

Neenowind  ishkwaudj,  We  last  (ex.) 

Keenowau  ishkwaudj,  Ye  or  you  last. 

Weenowau  ishkwaudj,  They  last. 

The  disjunctive  forms  of  the  pronoun  are  also  sometimes  preserved  be 
fore  verbs  and  adjectives. 

NEEZHIKA.    Alone,  (an.) 

Neen  neezhika,  I  alone. 

Keen  neezhika,  Thou  alone. 

Ween  neezhika,  He  or  she  alone. 

Keenowind  neezhika,  We  alone  (in.) 

Neenowind  neezhika,  We  alone  (ex.) 

Keenowau  neezhika,  Ye  or  you  alone. 

Weenowau  neezhika,  They  alone. 

To  give  these  expressions  a  verbal  form,  the  substantive  verb,  with  its 
pronominal  modifications,  must  be  superadded.  For  instance,  /  am  alone, 
&c.,  is  thus  rendered : 

Neen  neezhika  nindyau,  I  am  alone,  X  aumin. 

Keen  neezhika  keedyau,  Thou  art  alone,  X  aum. 

Ween  neezhika  lyau,  He  or  she  is  alone,  &c.  x  wug. 

In  the  subjoined  examples  the  noun  ow,  body,  is  changed  to  a  verb,  by 


INDIAN    LANGUAGES.  281 

the  permutation  of  the  vowel,  changing  ow  to  auw,  which  last  takes  the 
letter  d  before  it,  when  the  pronoun  is  prefixed. 

I  am  a  man,  Neen  nin  dauw. 

Thou  art  a  man,  Keen  ke  dauw.         t 

He  is  a  man,  Ween  ah  weeh. 

We  are  men,  (in.)  Ke  dauw  we  min. 

We  are  men,  (ex.)  Ne  dauw  we  min. 

Ye  are  men,  Ke  dauw  min. 

They  are  men,  Weenowau  ah  weeh  wug. 

In  the  translation  of  these  expressions  "  man"  is  used  as  synonomous 
with  person.  If  the  specific  lerminine,  had  been  introduced  in  the  origi 
nal,  the  meaning  thereby  conveyed  would  be,  in  this  particular  connexion. 
I  am  a  man  with  respect  to  courage  &c.,  in  opposition  to  effeminacy.  It 
would  not  be  simply  declarative  of  corporeal  existence,  but  of  existence  in 
a  particular  state  or  condition. 

In  the  following  phrases,  the  modified  forms,  or  the  signs  only>  of  the 
pronouns  are  used  : 

N'  debaindaun,  I  own  it. 

Ke  debaindaun,  Thou  ownest  it. 

O  debaindaun,  He  or  she  owns  it. 

N'  debaindaun-in,  Ijfe  own  it  (ex.) 

Ke  debaindaun-in,  We  own  it  (in.) 

Ke  debaindaun-ewau,  Ye  own  it. 

O  debaindaun-ewau,  They  own  it. 


These  examples  are  cited  as  exhibiting  the  manner  in  whic-h  the  pre 
fixed  and  preformative  pronouns  are  employed,  both  in  their  full  and  con 
tracted  forms.  To  denote  possession,  nouns  specifying  the  things  pos 
sessed,  are  required  ;  and,  what  would  not  be  anticipated,  had  not  full 
examples  of  this  species  of  declension  been  given  in  another  place,  the 
purposes  of  distinction  are  not  effected  by  a  simple  change  of  the  pronoun, 
as  I  to  mine,  &c.,  but  by  a  subformative  inflection  of  the  noun,  which  is 
thus  made  to  have  a  reflective  operation  upon  the  pronoun-speaker.  It  is 
believed  that  sufficient  examples  of  this  rule,  in  all  the  modifications  of 
inflection,  have  been  given  under  the  head  of  the  substantive.  But  as  the 
substantives  employed  to  elicit  these  modifications  were  exclusively  specific 
in  their  meaning,  it  may  be  proper  here,  in  further  illustration  of  an  im 
portant  principle,  to  present  a  generic  substantive  under  their  compound 
forms. 

I  have  selected  for  this  purpose  one  of  the  primitives.  IE-AU.  is  the  abstract 
term  for  existing  matter.  It  is  in  the  animate  form  and  declarative.  Its  inani 
mate  correspondent  is  IE-EE.  These  are  two  important  roots.  And  they  are 


282 


INDIAN    LANGUAGES. 


found  in  combination,  in  a  very  great  number  of  derivative  words.  It  will 
be  sufficient  here,  to  show  their  connexion  with  the  pronoun,  in  the  pro 
duction  of  a  class  of  terms  in  very  general  use. 


Animate  Forms. 


Singular. 


Poss. 


Obj. 


Nin  dye  aum,         Mine. 


Ke  dye  aum, 
O  dye  aum-un, 


Thine. 
His  or  Hers. 


Plural. 

Nin  dye  auminaun,  Ours,  (ex.) 

Ke  dye  auminaun,  Ours,    (in.) 

Ke  dye  aumewau,  Yours. 

O  dye  aumewaun,  Theirs. 


Poss 


Obj. 


•I 


Inanimate  Forms. 

Singular.  Plural. 

Nin  dye  eem,     Mine.  Nin  dye  eeminaun,  Ours,  (ex.) 

Ke  dye  eeminaun,  Ours,  (in.) 

Ke  dye  eem,      Thine.  Ke  dye"  eemewau,  Yours. 

O  dye  eem-un,    His  or  Hers.  O  dye  eemewaun.  Theirs.  Poss.  in. 


In  these  forms  the  noun  is  singular  throughout.  To  render  it  plural, 
as  well  as  the  pronoun,  the  appropriate  general  plurals  ug  and  un  or  ig 
and  in}  must  be  superadded.  But  it  must  be  borne  in  mind,  in  making 
these  additions,  "that  the  plural  inflection  to  inanimate  nouns  (which  have 
no  objective  case,)  forms  the  objective  case  to  animates,  which  have  no 
number  in  the  third  person,"*p.  30.]  The  particle  un,  therefore,  which 
is  the  appropriate  plural  for  the  inanimate  nouns  in  these  examples,  is  only 
the  objective  mark  of  the  animate. 

The  plural  of  I,  is  naun,  the  plural  of  thou  and  he,  wau.  But  as  these 
inflections  would  not  coalesce  smoothly  with  the  possessive  inflections,  the 
connective  vowels  i.  and  e.  are  prefixed,  making  the  plural  of  I,  maun, 
and  of  thou,  &c.  ewau. 

If  we  strike  from  these  declensions  the  root  IE,  leaving  its  animate  and 
inanimate  forms  AU,  and  EE,  and  adding  the  plural  of  the  noun,  we  shall 
then, — taking  the  animate  declension  as  an  instance,  have  the  following 
formula  .of  the  pronominal  declensions. 


Pron. 

Sing. 

Place  of  the 
Noun. 

Posessive 
inflection. 

Obj.  inflec. 
to  the 
noun  sing. 

Connect, 
vowel. 

Plu.  inflec. 
of  the 
pronoun. 

Obj. 
inflec. 
n.  plu. 

Plural 
of  the 
Noun. 

Ne 

aum 

-  i  - 

-  naun 

— 

-  ig. 

Ke 



aum 



—  e  - 

-  wau 

— 

-   g- 

o 

aum 

O 

aum 

-  e  - 

-  wau 

.-  n 

To  render  this  formula  of  general  use,  six  variations,  (five  in  addition 


INDIAN    LANGUAGES.  283 

to  the  above)  of  the  possessive  inflection,  are  required,  corresponding  to 
the  six  classes  of  substantives,  whereby  aum  would  be  changed  to  am, 
eem,  im,  6m,  and  oom,  conformably  to  the  examples  heretofore  given  in 
treating  of  the  substantive.  The  objective  inflection,  would  also  be  some 
times  changed  to  een  and  sometimes  to  oan. 

Having  thus  indicated  the  mode  of  distinguishing  the  person,  number, 
relation,  and  gender — or  what  is  deemed  its  technical  equivalent,  the  mu 
tation  words  undergo,  not  to  mark  the  distinctions  of  sex,  but  the  presence 
or  absence  of  vitality,  I  shall  now  advert  to  the  inflections  which  the  pro 
nouns  take  for  tense,  or  rather,  to  form  the  auxiliary  verbs,  have,  had, 
shall,  will,  may,  &c.  A  very  curious  and  important  principle,  and  one, 
which  clearly  demonstrates  that  no  part  of  speech  has  escaped  the  trans 
forming  genius  of  the  language.  Not  only  are  the  three  great  modi 
fications  of  time  accurately  marked  in  the  verbal  forms  of  the  Chippe- 
was,  but  by  the  inflection  of  the  pronoun  they  are  enabled  to  indicate 
some  of  the  oblique  tenses,  and  thereby  to  conjugate  their  verbs  with  ac 
curacy  and  precision. 

The  particle  gee  added  to  the  first,  second,  and  third  persons  singular  of 
the  present  tense,  changes  them  to  the  perfect  past,  rendering  I,  thou,  He, 
I  did — have — or  had.  Thou  didst, — hast — or  hadst,  He,  or  she  did — 
have,  or  had.  If  gah,  be  substituted  for  gee,  the  first  future  tense  is 
formed,  and  the  perfect  past  added  to  the  first  future,  forms  the  conditional 
future.  As  the  eye  may  prove  an  auxiliary  in  the  comprehension  of 
forms,  which  are  not  familiar,  the  following  tabular  arrangement  of  them, 
is  presented. 

First  Person,  I. 

Nin  gee,  I  did — have — had. 

Nin  gah,  I  shall — will. 

Nin  gah  gee,  I  shall  have — will  have. 

Second  Person,  Thou. 

Ke  gee,  Thou  didst — hast — hadst. 

Ke  gah,  Thou  shalt — wilt. 

Ke  gah  gee,  Thou  shalt  have — wilt  have. 

Third  Person,  He,  or  She. 

O  gee,  He  or  she  did — has — had. 

O  gah,  He  or  she  did — has — naa. 

O  gah  gee,  He  or  she  shall  have — will  have. 

The  present  and  imperfect  tense  of  the  potential  mood,  is  formed  by 
dau,  and  the  perfect  by  gee,  suffixed  as  in  other  instances. 

First  Person,  I. 

Nin  dau,  I  may — can,  &c. 

Nin  dau  gee,  I  may  have — can  have,  &c. 


284  INDIAN    LANGUAGES. 

Second  Person.   Thou. 

Ke  dau,  Thou  mayst — canst,  &c. 

Ke  dau  gee,  Thou  mayst  have — canst  have,  &c. 

Third  Person,  He,  or  She. 
O  dau,  He  or  she  may — can,  <fcc. 

O  dau  gee,  He  or  she  may  have — can  have,  &c. 

In  conjugating  the  verbs  through  the  plural  persons,  the  singular 
terms  for  the  pronoun  remain,  and  they  are  rendered  plural  by  a  retro 
spective  action  of  the  pronominal  inflections  of  the  verb.  In  this  manner 
the  pronoun-verb  auxiliary,  has  a  general  application,  and  the  necessity 
of  double  forms  is  avoided. 

The  preceding  observations  are  confined  to  the  formative  or  prefixed 
pronouns.  The  inseparable  suffixed  or  subformative  are  as  follows — 

Yaun,  My. 

Yun,  Thy. 

Id,  or  d,  His,  or  hers. 

Yaung,  Our.  (ex.) 

Yung,  Our.  (in.) 

Yaig,  Your. 

Waud,  Their. 

These  pronouns  are  exclusively  employed  as  suffixes, — and  as  suffixes 
to  the  descriptive  compound  substantives,  adjectives  and  verbs.  Both 
the  rule  and  examples  have  been  stated  under  the  head  of  the  substantive, 
p.  43.  and  adjective,  p.  81.  Their  application  to  the  verb  will  be  shown, 
as  we  proceed. 

2.  Relative  Pronouns.  In  a  language  which  provides  for  the  distinc 
tions  of  person  by  particles  prefixed  or  suffixed  to  the  verb,  it  will 
scarcely  be  expected,  that  separate  and  independent  relative  pronouns 
should  exist,  or  if  such  are  to  be  found,  their  use,  as  separate  parts  of 
speech,  must,  it  will  have  been  anticipated,  be  quite  limited — limited  to 
simple  interrogatory  forms  of  expression,  and  not  applicable  to  the  indica 
tive,  or  declaratory.  Such  will  be  found  to  be  the  fact  in  the  language 
under  review  ;  and  it  will  be  perceived,  from  the  subjoined  examples,  that 
in  all  instances,  requiring  the  relative  pronoun  who,  other  than  the  simple 
interrogatory  forms,  this  relation  is  indicated  by  the  inflections  of  the  verb, 
or  adjective,  &c.  Nor  does  there  appear  to  be  any  declension  of  the  sep 
arate  pronoun,  corresponding  to  whose,  and  whom. 

The  word  Ahwaynain,  may  be  said  to  be  uniformly  employed  in  the 
sense  of  who,  under  the  limitations  we  have  mentioned.      For  instance. 
Who  is  there?  Ahwaynain  e-mah  ai-aud? 

Who  spoke?  Ahwaynain  kau  keegcedood  ? 

Who  tcld  you  ?  Ahwaynain  kau  ween  dumoak  ? 


INDIAN    LANGUAGES.  285 

Who  are  you  ?  Ahwaynain  iau  we  yun  ? 

Who  sent  you  ?  Ahwaynain  waynonik  ? 

Who  is  your  father  ?          Ahwaynain  kos  ? 

Who  did  it  ?  Ahwaynain  kau  todung  ? 

Whose  dog  is  it  1  Ahwaynain  way  dyid  ? 

Whose  pipe  is  that?  Ahwaynain  dopwaugunid  en-eu? 

Whose  lodge  is  it  ?  Ahwaynain  way  weegewomid  1 

Whom  do  you  seek?         Ahwaynain  nain  dau  wau  bumud? 

Whom  have  you  here  ?     Ahwaynain  oh  omau  ai  auwaud  ? 
Not  the  slightest  variation  is  made  in  these  phrases,  between  who,  whose. 
&*d  whom. 

Should  we  wish  to  change  the  interrogative,  and  to  say,  he  who  is  there  ; 
ha  who  spoke  ;  he  who  told  you,  &c.,  the  separable  personal  pronoun  ween 
(he)  must  be  used  in  lieu  of  the  relative,  and  the  following  forms  will  be 
elicited. 

Ween,  kau  unnonik,  He  (who)  sent  you. 

Ween,  kau  geedood,  He  (who)  spoke. 

Ween,  ai-aud  e-mah,  He  (who)  is  there. 

Ween,  kau  weendumoak,  He  (who)  told  you. 

Ween,  kau  to  dung,  He  (who)  did  it,  &c. 

If  we  object  that,  that  in  these  forms,  there  is  no  longer  the  relative  pro 
noun  who,  the  sense  being  simply,  he  sent  you,  he  spoke,  &c.,  it  is  replied 
that  if  it  be  intended  only  to  say,  he  sent  you,  &c.,  and  not  he  who  sent 
you,  &c.,  the  following  forms  are  used. 

Ke  gee  unnonig.  He  (sent)  you. 

Ainnozhid,  He  (sent)  me. 

Ainnonaud,  He  (sent)  him,  &c. 

Iau  e-mau,  He  is  there. 

Ke  geedo,  He  (spoke.) 

Kegeeweendumaug,  He  (told)  you. 

Ke  to  dum,  He  did  it. 

We  reply,  to  this  answer  of  the  native  speaker,  that  the  particle  kai*, 
prefixed  to  a  verb  denotes  the  past  tense, — that  in  the  former  series  of  terms, 
in  which  this  particle  appears,  the  verbs  are  in  the  perfect  indicative, — 
and  in  the  latter,  they  are  in  the  present  indicative,  marking  the  dif 
ference  only  between  sent  and  send,  spoke  and  speak,  &c.  And  that  there 
is  absolutely  no  relative  pronoun,  in  either  series  of  terms.  We  further 
observe,  that  the  personal  pronoun  ween,  prefixed  to«the  first  set  of  terms, 
may  be  prefixed  with  equal  propriety,  to  the  second  set,  and  that  its  use 
or  disuse,  is  perfectly  optional  with  the  speaker,  as  he  may  wish  to  give 
additional  energy  or  emphasis  to  the  expression.  To  these  positions, 
after  reflection,  discussion  and  examination,  we  receive  an  assent,  and  thus 
the  uncertainty  is  terminated. 


286  INDIAN    LANGUAGES. 

sons  are  made  happy,  and,  in  like  manner,  the  suffixed  personal  pronouns 
plural,  mark  the  distinctions  between  we,  ye,  they,  &c.  For  it  is  a  rule 
of  the  language,  that  a  strict  concordance  must  exist  between  the  number 
of  the  verb,  and  the  number  of  the  pronoun.  The  termination  of  the  verb 
consequently  always  indicates,  whether  there  be  one  or  many  objects,  to 
which  its  energy  is  directed.  And  as  animate  verbs  can  be  applied  only 
to  animate  objects,  the  numerical  inflections  of  the  verb,  are  understood  to 
mark  the  number  of  persons.  But  this  number  is  indiscriminate,  and 
leaves  the  sense  vague,  until  the  pronominal  suffixes  are  superadded. 
Those  who,  therefore,  contend  for  the  sense  of  the  relative  pronoun 
"who,"  being  given  in  the  last  mentioned  phrase,  and  all  phrases  similarly 
formed,  by  a  succedaneum,  contend  for  something  like  the  following  form 
of  translation : — He  makes  them  happy — him !  or  Him — he  (meaning 
who)  makes  them  happy. 

The  equivalent  for  what,  is  Waygonain. 

What  do  you  want?  Waygonain  wau  iauyun  ? 

What  have  you  lost?  Waygonain  kau  wonetoyun  ? 

What  do  you  look  for  ?          Waygonain  nain  dahwaubundamun  ? 

What  is  this  ?  Waygonain  ewinain  maundun  ? 

What  will  you  have  ?  Waygonain  kau  iauyun  ? 

What  detained  you  ?  Waygonain  kau  oon  dahme  egoyun  ? 

What  are  you  making?  Waygonain  wayzhetoyun? 

What  have  you  there  ?  Waygonain  e-mau  iauyun  ? 

The  use  of  this  pronoun,  like  the  preceding,  appears  to  be  confined  to 
simple  interrogative  forms.  The  word  auneen,  which  sometimes  supplies 
its  place,  or  is  jused  for  want  of  the  pronoun  which,  is  an  adverb,  and  has 
considerable  latitude  of  meaning.  Most  commonly  it  may  be  considered 
as  the  equivalent  for  how,  in  what  manner,  or  at  what  time. 
What  do  you  say  ?  Auneen  akeedoyun  ? 

What  do  you  call  this?  Auneen  aizheneekaudahmun  maun 

dun?  (i.) 

What  ails  you  ?  Auneen  aindeeyun  ? 

What  is  your  name?  Auneen  aizheekauzoyun? 

Which  do  you  mean ;  this  or  that  ?  (an. )  Auneen  ah-ow  ainud,  woh-o w  gamau 

ewidde  ? 
Which  do  you  mean ;  this  or  that  ?  (in. )  Auneen    eh  -eu    e waidumun    oh-oo 

gamau.  ewaidde  ? 
Which  boy  do  you  mean  ?  Auneen  ah-ow-ainud  ? 

By  adding  to  this  word,  the  particle  de,  it  is  converted  into  an  adverb  of 
place,  and  may  be  rendered  where. 

Where  do  you  dwell?  Auneende  aindauyun? 

Where  is  your  son  ?  Auneende  ke  gwiss  ? 

Where  did  you  see  him?  Auneende  ke  waubumud? 


INDIAN    LANGUAGES.  287 

We  now  wish  to  apply  the  principle  thus  elicited  to  verbs  causative,  and 
other  compound  terms — to  the  adjective  verbs,  for  instance — and  to  the 
other  verbal  compound  expressions,  in  which  the  objective  and  the  nomi 
native  persons,  are  incorporated  as  a  part  of  the  verb,  and  are  not  prefixes 
to  it.  This  may  be  shown  in  the  causative  verb,  To  make  Happy. 

Mainwaindumeid,  He  (who)  makes  me  happy. 

Mainwaindumeik,  He  (who)  makes  thee  happy. 

Mainwaindumeaud,  He  (who)  makes  him  happy. 

Mainwaindumeinung,  He  (who)  makes  us  happy,  (inclusive.) 

Mainwaindumeyaug,  He  (who)  makes  us  happy,  (exclusive.) 

Mainwaindumeinnaig,  He  (who)  makes  ye  or  you  happy. 
Mainwaindumeigowaud,       He  (who)  makes  them  happy. 
And  so  the  forms  might  be  continued,  throughout  all  the  objective 
persons. — 

Mainwaindumeyun,  Thou  (who)  makest  me  happy,  &c. 

The  basis  of  these  compounds  is  minno,  good,  and  aindum,  the  mind. 
Hence  minwaindum,  he  happy.  The  adjective  in  this  connexion,  can 
not  be  translated  "  good,"  but  its  effect  upon  the  noun,  is  to  denote  that 
state  of  the  mind,  which  is  at  rest  with  itself.  The  first  change  from  this 
simple  compound,  is  to  give  the  adjective  a  verbal  form ;  and  this  is 
effected  by  a  permutation  of  the  vowels  of  the  first  syllable — a  rule  of  very 
extensive  application — and  by  which,  in  the  present  instance,  the  phrase 
he  happy,  is  changed  to  he  makes  happy,  (mainwaindum.)  The  next  step 
is  to  add  the  suffix  personal  pronouns,  id,  ik,  aud,  &c.,  rendering  the  ex 
pressions,  he  makes  me  happy,  &c.  But  in  adding  these  increments,  the 
vowel  e,  is  thrown  between  the  adjective-verb,  and  the  pronoun  suffixed, 
making  the  expression,  not  mainwaindum-yun,  but  mainwaindumeyun. 
Generally  the  vowel  e  in  this  situation,  is  a  connective,  or  introduced 
merely  for  the  sake  of  euphony.  And  those  who  maintain  that  it  is  here 
employed  as  a  personal  pronoun,  and  that  the  relative  who,  is  implied  by 
the  final  inflection  ;  overlook  the  inevitable  inference,  that  if  the  marked 
e,  stands  for  me  in  the  first  phrase,  it  must  stand  for  thee  in  the  second,  he 
in  the  third,  us  in  the  fourth,  &c.  As  to  the  meaning  and  office  of  the 
final  inflections  id,  ik,  &c. — whatever  they  may,  in  an  involuted  sense 
imply,  it  is  quite  clear,  by  turning  to  the  list  of  suffixed  personal  pronouns 
and  animate  plurals,  that  they  mark  the  persons,  1,  thou,  he,  &c.,  we,  ye, 
they,  &c. 

Take  for  example,  minwaindumeigcwaud.  He  (who)  makes  them 
happy.  Of  this  compound,  minwaindum,  as  before  shown,  signifies  he 
makes  happy.  But  as  the  verb  is  in  the  singular  number,  it  implies  that 
but  one  person  is  made  happy,  and  the  suffixed  personal  pronouns  singular, 
mark  the  distinctions  between  me,  thee,  and  he,  or  him. 

Mmwaindum-e-ig  is  the  vero   plural,  and  implies  that   several  per 


288  INDIAN    LANGUAGES. 

becomes  quite  necessary  in  writing  the  language.     And  in  the  following 
sentences,  the  substantive  is  properly  employed  after  the  pronoun. 

This  dog  is  very  lean,  Gitshee  bukaukdoozo  woh-ow  annemoosh. 

These  dogs  are  very  lean,  Gitshee  bukauddoozovvug   o-goo  annem- 

ooshug. 

Those  dogs  are  fat,  Ig-eu  annemooshug  vveen-in-oawug. 

That  dog  is  fat,  Ah-ow  annemoosh  ween-in-ao. 

This  is  a  handsome  knife,  Gagait  onishishin  maundun  mokomahn. 

These  are  handsome  knives.       Gagait  wahwinaudj  o-noo  mokomahnun. 
Those  are  bad  knives,  Monaududon  in-euwaidde  mokomahnun. 

Give  me  that  spear,  Meezhishin  eh-eu  ahnitt. 

Give  me  those  spears,  Meezhishin  in-eu  unnewaidde  ahnitteen. 

That  is  a  fine  boy,  Gagait  kwonaudj  ah-ow  kweewezains. 

Those  are  fine  boys,  Gagait   wahwinaudj   ig-euwaidde   kwee- 

wezainsug. 
This  boy  is  larger  than  that,       Nahwudj  mindiddo  woh-ow  kweewezains 

ewaidde  dush. 

That  is  what  I  wanted,  Meeh-eu  wau  iauyaumbaun. 

This  is  the  very  thing  I  wanted,  Mee-suh  oh-oo  wau  iauyaumbaun. 

In  some  of.  these  expressions,  the  pronoun  combines  with  an  adjective, 
as  in  the  compound  words,  ineuwaidde,  and  igeuwaidde,  those  yonder,  (in.) 
and  those  yonder  (an.)  Compounds  which  exhibit  the  full  pronoun  in  co 
alescence  with  the  word  Ewaidde  yonder. 


CHRONOLOGY. 

Columbus  discovered  the  West  Indies  Oct.  12,  1492. 

Americo  Vespucio,  discovered  the  coast  of  South  America,  1497. 

Cabot  discovered  the  North  American  coast  1497. 

De  Leon  discovered  Florida  1512. 

Cortes,  enters  the  city  of  Mexico,  after  a  seige,  Aug.  13,  1521. 

Verrizani,  is  said  to  have  entered  the  bay  of  New  York,  1524. 

Carder  discovered  the  St.  Lawrence,  1534. 

Jamestown,  in  Virginia,  is  founded,  1608. 

Acknowledged  date  of  the  settlement  of  Canada,  1608. 

Hudson  discovers  the  river  bearing  his  name,  1609. 

The  Dutch  build  a  fort  near  Albany,  1614. 

The  Pilgrims  land  at  Plymouth  Dec.  22,  1620. 

New  Amsterdam  taken  from  the  Dutch  by  the  Duke  of  York  and  Albany 

and  named  New  York  1664. 

La  Salle  discovers  the  Illinois  in  upper  Louisaina  1678. 
discovers  Lower  Louisiana,  and  is  killed  1685. 


THE  ERA  OF  THE  ARRIVAL  OF  THE  FRENCH  IN 
THE  UPPER  LAKES. 


KE-WA-KONS,  a  chief  of  the  straits  of  St.  Mary's,  told  me,  during-  an  in 
terview,  in  1327,  that  but  seven  generations  of  red  men  had  passed  away, 
since  the  French  first  appeared  on  those  straits.  If  we  take  the  date  of 
Carder's  first  visit  to  the  St.  Lawrence,  as  the  era  of  their  acquaintance 
with  this  nation,  A.  D.  1534,  wo  should  have  56  years  as  the  period  of  an 
Indian  generation.  Should  we  take,  instead  of  this,  the  time  of  La  Salle's 
first  arrival  on  the  upper  lakes,  1778,  there  would,  on  the  contrary,  be  but 
a  fraction  over  22  years  for  a  generation.  But  neither  of  these  periods, 
can  be  truly  said  to  coincide  with  the  probable  era  of  the  chief's  historical 
reminiscences.  The  first  is  too  early,  the  last  too  late.  An  average  of 
the  two,  which  is  required  to  apply  the  observation  properly,  gives  38 
years  as  the  Indian  generation.  This  nearly  assimilates  it  to  the  results 
among  Europeans,  leaving  8  years  excess.  Further  data  would  probably 
reduce  this ;  but  it  is  a  department  in  which  we  have  so  little  material, 
that  we  must  leave  it  till  these  be  accumulated.  It  may  be  supposed  that 
the  period  of  Indian  longevity,  before  the  introduction  of  ardent  spirits, 
was  equal,  perhaps,  a  little  superior,  to  that  of  the  European  ;  but  it  did 
not  exceed  it,  we  think,  by  8  years. 

Ke-wakons,  whom  I  knew  very  well,  was  a  man  of  shrewd  sense,  and 
respectable  powers  of  observation.  He  stated,  at  the  same  interview,  that 
his  tribe,  who  were  of  the  Odjibwa  type  of  the  Algonquins,  laid  aside  their 
Akeeks,  or  clay  cooking- vessels,  at  that  time,  and  adopted  in  lieu  of  them, 
the  light  brass  kettle,  which  was  more  portable  and  permanent.  And 
from  that  time,  their  skill  in  pottery  declined,  until,  in  our  day,  it  is  en 
tirely  lost.  It  is  curious  to  reflect,  that  within  the  brief  period  of  150 
years,  a  living  branch  of  coarse  manufacture  among  them,  has  thus  been 
transferred  into  an  object  of  antiquarian  research.  This  fact,  should  make 
historians  cautious  in  assigning  very  remote  periods  of  antiquity  to  the 
monumental  evidences  of  by-gone  generations. 

It  is  by  such  considerations  that  we  get  a  glimpse  of  some  of  the  gene 
ral  principles  which  attended  the  early  periods  of  discovery  and  settlement, 
in  all  parts  of  the  continent.  Adventurers  came  to  find  gold,  or  furs,  to  amass 
\vealth,  get  power,  or  to  perform  mere  exploits.  Nobody  cared  much  for 
the  native  race,  beyond  the  fact  of  their  being  the  medium  to  lead  to  these 

19  289 


29U  FLIGHT    OF    THE    SHAWNEES. 

specified  objects.  There  were  none,  to  record  accurately,  their  arts,  and 
other  peculiarities,  which  now  excite  intense  interest.  They  died  away 
very  fast,  whole  tribes  becoming  extinct  within  a  generation  or  two.  The 
European  fabrics,  then  introduced,  were  so  much  superior  to  their  own; 
that  they,  at  once,  discontinued  such  rude  arts  as  they  practised,  at  least  in 
our  northern  latitudes.  New  adventurers  followed  in  the  track  of  Colum 
bus,  Amerigo,  Cabot,  and  their  compeers  and  followers,  who,  in  the  lapse 
of  time,  picked  up,  from  the  soil,  pieces  of  coarse  pottery,  pestles  and  such 
like  things,  and  holding  them  up,  said, — "  See  these ! — here  are  evidences 
of  very  great  skill,  and  very  high  antiquity." 

It  is  not  the  intention  by  any  means,  to  assert,  that  there  were  not  anti 
quities  of  a  far  higher  era,  and  nobler  caste,  but  merely  to  impress  upon  in 
quirers,  the  necessity  of  discriminating  the  different  eras  in  the  chronology 
of  our  antiquities.  All  Indian  pottery,  north  of  the  capes  of  Florida  and 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  is  of,  or  preceding  the  era  of  the  discovery  ;  but  there 
is  found  in  graves,  a  species  of  pottery,  and  vitrified  ware,  which  was  in 
troduced,  in  the  early  stages  of  traffic,  by  Europeans.  Of  this  transition 
era  between  the  dying  away  of  the  Indian  arts,  and  the  introduction  of  the 
European,  are  the  rude  pastes,  enamel  and  glass  beads,  and  short  clay 
pipes  of  coarse  texture,  found  in  Indian  cemeteries,  but  not  in  the  tumuli. 
In  place  of  these,  our  ancient  Indians  used  wrought  and  unwrcught  sea 
shells  of  various  species,  and  pipes  carved  out  of  seatites  and  other  soft 
materials. 


Mr.  Anderson  remarks  in  his  biography  of  Catharine  Brown,  that 
"  the  Cherokees  are  said  to  possess  a  language,  which  is  more  precise  and 
powerful  than  any  into  which  learning  has  poured  richness  of  thought,  or 
genius  breathed  the  enchantments  of  fancy  and  eloquence." 

David  Brown,  in  one  of  his  letters,  in  the  same  volume,  terms  his  peo 
ple  the  Tsallakee,  of  which  we  must  therefore  take  "  Cherokee,"  to  be  a 
corruption.  It  is  seen  by  the  Cherokee  alphabet,  that  the  sound  of  r  does 
not  occur  in  that  language. 

F  AITH. 

When  Chusco  was  converted  to  Christianity  at  the  mission  of  Michi- 
linackinac,  he  had  planted  a  field  of  potatoes  on  one  of  the  neighbouring 
islands  in  lake  Huron.  In  the  fall  he  went  over  in  his  canoe,  with  his 
aged  wife,  to  dig  them — a  labour  which  the  old  woman  set  unceremoni 
ously  about,  as  soon  as  they  got  into  the  field.  "  Stop !"  cried  the  little  old 
man,  who  had  a  small  tenor  voice  and  was  bent  nearly  double  by  age, — 
"  dare  you  begin  to  dig,  till  we  have  thanked  the  Lord  for  their  growth.'7 
They  then  both  knelt  down  in  the  field,  while  he  lifted  up  his  voice,  in 
his  native  language,  in  thanks. 


SHINGABA-WOSSINS,  OR  IMAGE  STONES. 

THE  native  tribes  who  occupy  the  borders  of  the  great  lakes,  are  very 
ingenious  in  converting  to  the  uses  of  superstition,  such  masses  of  loose 
rock,  or  boulder  stones,  as  have  been  fretted  by  the  action  of  water  into 
shapes  resembling  the  trunks  of  human  bodies,  or  other  organic  forms. 

There  appears,  at  all  times,  to  have  been  a  ready  disposition  to  turn 
such  masses  of  rude  natural  sculpture,  so  to  call  them,  to  an  idolatrous 
use  5  as  well  as  a  most  ingenious  tact,  in  aiding  the  effect  of  the  natural 
resemblance,  by  dots  or  dabs  of  paint,  to  denote  eyes,  and  other  features, 
or  by  rings  of  red  ochre,  around  their  circumference,  by  way  of  orna 
ment. 

In  the  following  figures,  1,  2,  3,  4,  5,  some  of  these  masses  are  repre 
sented. 


Number  3.  was  brought  to  the  office  of  the  Indian  Agent,  at  Michili- 
mackinac  in  1839,  and  placed  among  objects  of  analagous  interest  to 
visiters.  It  consisted  of  a  portion  of  a  vein  or  mass  of  gneiss  or  granite, 
from  which  both  mica  and  feldspar  were  nearly  absent,  existing  only  in 
trace,  while  the  quartzy  portion  predominated,  and  had,  by  its  superior 
hardness,  resisted  the  elemental  action.  The  mode  of  the  formation  of  such 
masses  is  very  well  known  to  geologists,  resulting,  in  almost  every  case, 
from  the  unequal  degree  of  hardness  of  various  parts  of  a  mass,  sub 
mitted  to  an  equal  force  of  attrition,  such  as  is  ordinarily  given  by  the 
upheaving  and  rolling  force  of  waves  on  a  lake,  or  ocean  beach.  To  the 
natives,  who  are  not  pi  one  to  reason  from  cause  to  effect,  such  productions 
appear  wonderful.  All  that  is  past  comprehension,  or  wonderful,  is 
Utributed  by  them  to  the  supernatural  agency  of  spirits.  The  hunter  or 

291 


292  SHINGABA    WOSSINS,    OR    IMAGE    STONES. 

warrior,  who  is  travelling  along  the  coast,  and  finds  one  of  these  self- 
sculptured  stones,  is  not  sure  that  it  is  not  a  direct  interposition  of  his 
God,  or  guardian  Manito,  in  his  favour.  He  is  habitually  a  believer  in 
the  most  subtle  forms  of  mysterious  power,  which  he  acknowledges  to  be 
often  delegated  to  the  native  priests,  or  necromancers.  He  is  not  stag 
gered  by  the  most  extraordinary  stretch  of  fancy,  in  the  theory  of  the 
change  or  transformation  of  animate  into  inanimate  objects,  and  vice 
versa.  All  things,  "  in  heaven  and  earth,"  he  believes  to  be  subject  to 
this  subtle  power  of  metamorphosis.  But,  whatever  be  the  precise  ope 
rating  cause  of  the  respect  he  pays  to  the  imitative  roiled  stones,  which 
he  calls  Shingaba-wossins,  and  also  by  the  general  phrase  of  Muz-in-in- 
a-wun,  or  images,  he  is  not  at  liberty  to  pass  them  without  hazarding 
something,  in  his  opinion,  of  his  chance  of  success  in  life,  or  the  fortune 
of  the  enterprize  in  hand. 

If  the  image  be  small,  it  is  generally  taken  with  him  and  secreted  in 
the  neighborhood  of  his  lodge.  If  large  and  too  heavy  for  this  purpose, 
it  is  set  up  on  the  shore,  generally  in  some  obscure  nook,  where  an  offer 
ing  of  tobacco,  or  something  else  of  less  value,  may  be  made  to  it,  or 
rather  through  it,  to  the  spirit. 

In  1820  one  of  these  stones  (No.  2.)  was  met  by  an  expedition  of  the 
government  sent  north,  that  year,  for  the  purpose  of  interior  discovery 
and  observation,  at  the  inner  Thunder  Bay  island,  in  Lake  Huron.  It  was 
a  massy  stone,  rounded,  with  a  comparatively  broad  base  and  entablature 
but  not  otherwise  remarkable.  It  wras  set  up,  under  a  tree  on  the  island, 
which  was  small,  with  the  wide  and  clear  expanse  of  the  lake  in.  plain 
view.  The  island  wras  one  of  those  which  were  regarded  as  desert,  and 
was  probably  but  seldom  stopped  at.  It  was,  indeed,  little  more  than  a  few 
acres  of  boulders  and  pebbles,  accumulated  on  a  limestone  reef,  and  bear 
ing  a  few  stunted  trees  and  shrubs.  The  water  of  the  lake  must,  in  high 
storms,  have  thrown  its  spray  over  this  imaged  stone.  It  was,  in  fine,  one 
of  those  private  places  which  an  Indian  might  be  supposed  to  have  se 
lected  for  his  secret  worship. 

In  No.  3.  is  figured  an  object  of  this  kind,  which  was  found  in  1832, 
in  the  final  ascent  to  the  source  of  the  Mississippi,  on  the  right  cape,  in 
ascending  this  stream  into  lac  Traverse — at  the  distance  of  about  1000 
miles  above  the  falls  of  St.  Anthony.  1  landed  at  the  point  to  see  it,  hav 
ing  heard,  from  my  interpreter,  that  such  an  object  was  set  up  and  dedi 
cated  to  some  unknown  Manito  there.  It  was  a  pleasant  level  point  of 
land  shaded  with  trees,  and  bearing  luxuriant  grass  and  wild  shrubbery 
and  flowers.  In  the  middle  of  this  natural  parterre  the  stone  was  placed, 
and  was  overtopped  by  this  growth,  and  thus  concealed  by  it.  A  ring  of 
red  paint  encircled  it,  at  the  first  narrowed  point  of  its  circumference,  to 
give  it  the  resemblance  of  a  human  neck  ;  and  there  were  some  rude 
dabs  to  denote  other  features.  The  Indian  is  not  precise  in  the  matter  of 


SHINGABA    WOSSINS,    OR    IMAGE    STONES. 


293 


proportion,  either  in  his  drawing,  or  in  his  attempts  at  statuary.  He  seizes 
upon  some  minute  and  characteristic  trait,  which  is  at  once  sufficient  to  de 
note  the  species,  and  he  is  easily  satisfied  about  the  rest.  Thus  a  simple 
cross,  with  a  strait  line  from  shoulder  to  shoulder,  and  a  dot,  or  circle 
above,  to  serve  for  a  head,  is  the  symbol  of  the  human  frame  ;  and  without 
any  adjunct  of  feet,  or  hands,  it  could  not  have  been  mistaken  for  any 
thing  else — certainly  for  any  other  object  in  the  animal  creation. 


MNEMONIC  SYMBOLS  OF  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

PRELIMINARY  REMARKS. — SYMBOLICAL  REPRESENTATIONS  AND  HIEROGLYPHICS,  ONE  OF  THE 
EARLIEST  OBSERVED  TRAITS  IN  THE  CUSTOMS  AND  ARTS  OF  THE  AMERICAN  ABORI 
GINES  ;  BUT  THIS  ART  NOT  SUSPECTED  TO  HAVE  A  SYSTEMATIC  FORM  AMONG  THE  RUDE 
HUNTER  TRIBES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA,  UNTIL  THE  YEAR  1820,  WHEN  IT  WAS  DIS 
COVERED  ON  THE  SOURCE  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI.  THIS  INSTANCE  GIVEN,  WITH  A  DRAW 
ING  I  THE  HINT  PURSUED. 

THE  practice  of  the  North  American  tribes,  of  drawing  figures  and 
pictures  on  skins,  trees,  and  various  other  substances,  has  been  noticed 
by  travellers  and  writers  from  the  earliest  times.  Among  the  more  north 
erly  tribes,  these  figures  are  often  observed  on  that  common  substitute  for 
the  ancient  papyrus,  among  these  nations,  the  bark  of  the  betula  papyracea^ 
or  white  birch :  a  substance  possessing  a  smooth  surface,  easily  impressed, 
very  flexible,  and  capable  of  being  preserved  in  rolls.  Often  these  devi 
ces  are  cut,  or  drawn  in  colours  on  the  trunks  of  trees,  more  rarely  on 
rocks  or  boulders.  According  to  Golden  and  Lafitou  records  of  this  rude 
character  were  formerly  to  be  seen  on  the  blazed  surface  of  trees,  along  some 
of  the  ancient  paths  and  portages  leading  from  the  sources  of  the  Atlan 
tic  rivers  into  the  interior,  or  in  the  valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence  ;  but 
these,  after  satisfying  a  transient  curiosity,  have  long  since  yielded  to  the 
general  fate  of  these  simple  and  unenduring  monuments.  Pictures  and 
symbols  of  this  kind  are  now  to  be  found  only  on  the  unreclaimed  bor 
ders  of  the  great  area  west  of  the  Alleghanies  and  the  Lakes,  in  the 
wide  prairies  of  the  west,  or  along  the  Missouri  and  the  upper  Missis 
sippi.  It  is  known  that  such  devices  were  in  use,  to  some  extent,  at  the  era 
of  the  discovery,  among  most  of  the  tribes,  situated  between  the  latitudes 
of  the  capes  of  Florida,  and  Hudson's  Bay,  although  they  have  been 
considered  as  more  particularly  characteristic  of  the  tribes  of  the  Algon 
quin  type.  In  a  few  instances,  these  pictorial  inscriptions  have  been  found 
to  be  painted  or  stained  on  the  faces  of  rocks,  or  on  loose  boulders,  and 
still  more  rarely,  devices  were  scratched  or  pecked  into  the  surface,  as  is 
found  to  be  the  case  still  at  Dighton  and  Venango.  Those  who  are  intent 


294  ART    OF    PICTURE    WRITING. 

on  observations  of  this  kind,  will  find  figures  and  rude  hieroglyphics  in 
variably  at  the  present  time,  on  the  grave  posts  which  mark  the  places 
of  Indian  sepulchre  at  the  west  and  north.  The  nations  who  rove  over 
the  western  prairies,  inscribe  them  on  the  skins  of  the  buffalo.  North  of 
latitude  42°,  the  bark  of  the  birch,  which  furnishes  at  once  the  mate 
rial  of  canoes,  tents,  boxes,  water-dippers,  and  paper,  constitutes  the  com 
mon  medium  of  their  exhibition.  Tablets  of  hard  wood  are  confined  to 
such  devices  as  are  employed  by  their  priests  and  prophets,  and  medicine 
men  ;  and  these  characters  uniformly  assume  a  more  mystical  or  sacred 
import.  But  the  recent  discovery,  on  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna,  of  an  Indian  map,  drawn  on  stone,  with  intermixed  devices,  a 
copy  of  which  appears  in  the  1st  volume  of  the  collections  of  the  Histor 
ical  Committee  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  proves  that  stone 
was  also  employed  in  that  branch  of  inscription.  This  discovery  was  on 
the  area  occupied  by  the  Lenapees. 

Golden,  in  his  history  of  the  Five  Nations,  *  informs  us  that  when,  in 
1696,  the  Count  de  Frontenac  marched  a  well  appointed  army  into  the 
Iroquois  country,  with  artillery  and  all  other  means  of  regular  military 
offence,  he  found,  on  the  banks  of  the  Onondaga,  now  called  Oswego 
river,  a  tree,  on  the  trunk  of  which  the  Indians  had  depicted  the  French 
army,  and  deposited  two  bundles  of  cut  rushes  at  its  foot,  consisting  of 
1434  pieces — an  act  of  defiance  on  their  part,  which  was  intended  to  in 
form  their  invaders,  that  they  would  have  to  encounter  this  number  of 
warriors.  In  speaking  in  another  passage  of  the  general  traits  of  the 
Five  Nations,  he  mentions  the  general  custom  prevalent  among  the  Mo 
hawks  going  to  war,  of  painting,  with  red  paint,  on  the  trunk  of  a  tree, 
such  symbols,  as  might  serve  to  denote  the  object  of  their  expedition. 
Among  the  devices  was  a  canoe  pointed  towards  the  enemies'  country. 
On  their  return,  it  was  their  practice  to  visit  the  same  tree,  or  precinct, 
and  denote  the  result :  the  canoe  being,  in  this  case,  drawn  with 
its  bows  in  the  opposite  direction.  Lafitou,  in  his  account  of  the  nations 
of  Canada,  makes  observations  on  this  subject  to  which  we  shall  more 
particularly  refer  hereafter,  which  Denote  the  general  prevalence  of  the 
custom  in  that  quarter.  Other  writers,  dating  as  far  back  as  Smith  and 
de  Bre,  bear  a  passing  testimony  to  the  existence  of  this  trait  among  the 
northern  tribes.  Few  have  however  done  more  than  notice  it,  and  none 
are  known  to  have  furnished  any  amount  of  connected  details. 

A  single  element  in  the  system  attracted  early  notice.  I  allude  to  the 
institution  of  the  Totem,  which  has  been  well  known  among  the  Al 
gonquin  tribes  from  the  settlement  of  Canada.  By  this  device,  the  early 
missionaries  observed,  that  the  natives  marked  their  division  of  a  tribe 
into  clans,  and  of  a  clan  into  families,  and  the  distinction  was  thus  very 
clearly  preserved.  Affinities  were  denoted  and  kept  up,  long  after  tradi 
*»  London,  1747,  p.  190. 


THE    ART    OF    PICTURE    WRITING.  295 

tion  had  fa-Jed  in  its  testimony.  This  distinction,  which  is  marked  with 
much  of  the  certainty  of  heraldic  bearings  in  the  feudal  system,  was  seen 
to  mark  the  arms,  the  lodge,  and  the  trophies  of  the  chief  and  warrior. 
It  was  likewise  employed  to  give  identity  to  the  clan  of  which  he  was  a 
member,  on  his  ad-je-da-teg  or  grave-post.  This  record  went  but  little 
farther  ;  a  few  strokes  or  geometric  devices  were  drawn  on  these  simple 
monuments,  to  denote  the  number  of  men  he  had  slain  in  battle. 

It  has  not  been  suspected  in  any  notices  to  which  I  have  had  access, 
that  there  was  a  pictorial  alphabet,  or  a  series  of  homophonous  figures,  in 
which,  by  the  juxtaposition  of  symbols  representing  acts,  as  well  as  objects 
of  action,  and  by  the  introduction  of  simple  adjunct  signs,  a  series  of  dis 
junctive,  yet  generally  connected  ideas,  were  denoted ;  or  that  the  most  prom 
inent  incidents  of  life  and  death  could  be  recorded  so  as  to  be  transmitted 
from  one  generation  to  another,  as  long  at  least  as  the  monument  and  the 
people  endured.  Above  all,  it  was  not  anticipated  that  there  should  have 
been  found,  as  will  be  observed  in  the  subsequent  details,  a  system  of  sym 
bolic  notation  for  the  songs  and  incantations  of  the  Indian  metas  and 
priests,  making  an  appeal  to  the  memory  for  the  preservation  of  language. 

Persons  familiar  with  the  state  of  the  western  tribes  of  this  continent, 
particularly  in  the  higher  northern  latitudes,  have  long  been  aware  that 
the  songs  of  the  Indian  priesthood,  and  wabenoes,  were  sung  from  a  kind 
of  pictorial  notation,  made  on  bark.  It  is  a  fact  which  has  often  come  to 
the  observation  of  military  officers  performing  duties  on  those  frontiers, 
and  of  persons  exercising  occasional  duties  in  civil  life,  who  have  passed 
through  their  territories.  But  there  is  no  class  of  persons  to  whom  the 
fact  of  such  notations  being  made,  is  so  well  known,  as  the  class  of  Indian 
traders  and  interpreters  who  visit  or  reside  a  part  of  the  season  at  the 
Indian  villages.  I  have  never  conversed  with  any  of  this  latter  class  of 
persons  to  whom  the  fact  of  such  inscriptions,  made  in  various  ways,  was 
not  so  familiar  as  in  their  view  to  excite  no  surprise  or  even  demand  re 
mark.  4 

My  attention  was  first  called  to  the  subject  in  1820.  In  the  summer 
of  that  year  I  was  on  an  exploring  journey  through  the  lake  country.  At 
the  mouth  of  the  small  river  Huron,  on  the  banks  of  Lake  Superior, 
/here  was  an  Indian  grave  fenced  around  with  saplings,  and  protected 
with  much  care.  At  its  head  stood  a  post,  or  tabular  stick,  upon  whrch 
was  drawn  the  figure  of  the  animal  which  was  the  symbol  of  the  clan  to 
ivhich  the  deceased  chief  belonged.  Strokes  of  red  paint  were  added  to 
denote,  either  the  number  of  war  parties  in  which  he  had  been  engaged, 
or  the  number  of  scalps  which  he  had  actually  taken  from  the  enemy. 
The  interpreter  who  accompanied  us,  and  who  was  himself  tinctured  with 
Indian  blood,  gave  the  latter,  as  the  true  import  of  these  marks. 

On  quitting  the  river  St.  Louis,  which  flows  into  the  head  of  the  lake 
at  the  Fond  du  Lac,  to  cross  the  summit  dividing  its  waters  from  those  of 


296 


THE    ART    OF    PICTURE    WRITING. 


the  Mississippi,  the  way  led  through  heavy  and  dense  woods  and  swamps, 
and  the  weather  proved  dark  and  rainy,  so  that,  for  a  couple  cf  days  to 
gether.  we  had  scarcely  a  glimpse  of  the  sun. 

The  party  consisted  of  sixteen  persons,  with  two  Indian  guides  ;  bul 
the  latter,  with  all  their  adroitness  in  threading  the  maze,  were  completely  at 
fault  for  nearly  an  entire  day.  At  night  we  lay  down  on  ground  elevated 
but  a  few  inches  above  the  level  of  the  swamp.  The  next  morning  as 
we  prepared  to  leave  the  camp,  a  small  sheet  of  birch  bark  containing  de 
vices  was  observed  elevated  on -the  top  of  a  sapling,  some  8  or  10  feet 
high.  One  end  of  this  pole  was  thrust  firmly  into  the  ground  leaning  in 
the  direction  we  were  to  go.  On  going  up  to  this  object,  it  was  found, 
with  the  aid  of  the  interpreter,  to  be  a  symbolic  record  of  the  circum 
stances  of  our  crossing  this  summit,  and  of  the  night's  encampment  at  this 
spot.  Each  person  was  appropriately  depicted,  distinguishing  the  soldiers 
from  the  officer  in  command,  and  the  latter  from  the  sea  vans  of  the  party. 
The  Indians  themselves  were  depicted  without  hats,  this  being,  as  we  no 
ticed,  the  general  symbol  for  a  white  man  or  European.  The  entire 
record,  of  which  a  figure  is  annexed,  accurately  symbolized  the  circum 
stances,  and  they  were  so  clearly  drawn,  according  to  their  conventional 
rules,  that  the  intelligence  would  be  communicated  thereby  to  any  of  their 
people  who  might  chance  to  travel  or  wander  this  way.  This  was  th.e 
object  of  the  inscription. 


Fig.  No.  1.  represents  the  subaltern  officer  in  command  of  the  party 
of  the  U.  S.  troops.     He  is  drawn  with  a  sword  to  denote  his  official 


THE    ART    OF    PICTURE    WRITING.  297 

rank.  No.  2  denotes  the  person  who  officiated  in  quality  of  Secretary. 
He  is  represented  holding  a  book.  No.  3  denotes  the  geologist  and  min 
eralogist  of  the  party.  He  is  drawn  with  a  hammer.  Nos.  4  and  5  are 
attaches  ;  No.  6,  the  interpreter. 

The  group  of  figures  marked  9  represents  eight  infantry  soldiers,  each 
cf  whom,  as  shown  in  group  No.  10,  was  armed  with  a  musket.  No.  15 
denotes  that  they  had  a  separate  fire,  and  constituted  a  separate  mess. 
Figures  7  and  8  are  the  two  Chippewa  guides,  the  principal  of  whom, 
called  Chamees,  or  the  Pouncing-hawk,  led  the  way  over  this  dreary  sum 
mit.  These  are  the  only  human  figures  on  this  unique  bark  letter,  who 
are  drawn  without  a  hat.  This  was  the  characteristic  seized  on,  by  them, 
and  generally  employed  by  the  tribes,  to  distinguish  the  Red  from  the  white 
race.  Figures  1 1  and  12  represent  a  prairie  hen,  and  a  green  tortoise, 
which  constituted  the  sum  of  the  preceding  day's  chase,  and  were  eaten 
at  the  encampment.  The  inclination  of  the  pole,  was  designed  to  show 
the  course  pursued  from  that  particular  spot :  there  were  three  hacks  in 
it,  below  the  scroll  of  bark,  to  indicate  the  estimated  length  of  this  part 
of  the  journey,  computing  from  water  to  water,  that  is  to  say,  from  the 
head  of  the  portage  Aux  Couteaux  on  the  St;  Louis  river,  to  the  open  shores 
of  Sandy  lake,  the  Ka-ma-ton-go-gom-ag  of  the  Odjibwas. 

The  story  was  thus  briefly  and  simply  told  ;  and  this  memorial  was 
set  up  by  the  guides,  to  advertise  any  of  their  countrymen,  who  might 
chance  to  wander  in  that  direction,  of  the  adventure — for  it  was  evident, 
both  from  this  token,  and  from  the  dubiousness  which  had  marked  the 
prior  day's  wanderings,  that  they  regarded  the  passage  in  this  light,  and 
were  willing  to  take  some  credit  for  the  successful  execution  of  it. 

Before  we  had  penetrated  quite  to  this  summit,  we  came  to  another 
evidence  of  their  skill  in  this  species  of  knowledge,  consisting  of  one  of 
those  contrivances  which  they  denominate  Man-i-to-wa-teg,  or  Manito 
Poles.  On  reaching  this  our  guides  shouted,  whether  from  a  supersti 
tious  impulse,  or  the  joy  of  having  found  a  spot  they  certainly  could  rec 
ognize,  we  could  not  tell.  We  judged  the  latter.  It  consisted  of  eight 
poles,  of  equal  length,  shaved  smooth  and  round,  painted  with  yellow 
ochre,  and  set  so  as  to  enclose  a  square  area.  It  appeared  to  have  been 
one  of  those  rude  temples,  or  places  of  incantation  or  worship,  known  to 
the  metas,  or  priests,  where  certain  rites  and  ceremonies  are  performed. 
But  it  was  not  an  ordinary  medicine  lodge.  There  had  been  far  more 
care  in  its  construction. 

On  reaching  the  village  of  Sandy  lake,  on  the  upper  Mississippi,  the 
figures  of  animals,  birds,  and  other  devices  were  found,  on  the  rude  cof 
fins,  or  wrappings  of  their  dead,  which  were  scaffolded  around  the  pre 
cincts  of  the  fort,  and  upon  the  open  shores  of  the  lake.  Similar  devices 
were  also  observed,  here,  as  at  other  points  in  this  region,  upon  their 


298  THE    ART    OF    PICTURE    WRITING. 

arms,  war-clubs,  canoes,  and  other  pieces  of  moveable  property,  as  well 
as  upon  their  grave  posts. 

In  the  descent  of  the  Mississippi,  we  observed  such  devices  painted  on 
a  rock,  below  and  near  the  mouth  of  Elk  river,  and  at  a  rocky  island 
in  the  river,  at  the  Little  Falls.  In  the  course  of  our  descent  to  the  Falls 
at  St.  Anthony,  we  observed  another  bark  letter,  as  the  party  now  began 
to  call  these  inscriptions,  suspended  on  a  high  pole,  on  an  elevated  bank 
of  the  river,  on  its  west  shore.  At  this  spot,  where  we  encamped  for  the 
night  and  which  is  just  opposite  a  point  of  highly  crystalized  hornblende 
rock,  called  the  Peace  Rock,  rising  up  through  the  prairie,  there  were  left 
standing  the  poles  or  skeletons  of  a  great  number  of  Sioux  lodges.  It  is 
near  and  a  little  west  of  the  territorial  boundary  of  the  Sioux  nation  ;  and 
on  inspecting  this  scroll  of  bark,  we  found  it  had  reference  to  a  negocia- 
tion  for  bringing  about  a  permanent  peace  between  the  Sioux  and  Chippe- 
\vas.  A  large  party  of  the  former,  from  St.  Peter's,  headed  by  their  chief, 
had  proceeded  thus  far,  in  the  hope  of  meeting-  the  Chippewa  hunters, 
on  their  summer  hunt.  They  had  been  countenanced,  or  directed  in  this 
step,  by  Col.  Leaven  worth,  the  commanding  officer  of  the  new  post,  just 
then  about  to  be  erected.  The  inscription,  which  was  read  off  at  once,  by 
the  Chippewa  Chief  Babesacundabee,  who  was  with  us;  told  all  this  ;  it 
gave  the  name  of  the  Chief  who  had  led  the  party,  and  the  number  of 
his  followers,  and  gave  that  chief  the  first  assurance  he  had,  that  his  mis 
sion  for  the  same  purpose,  would  be  favourably  received. 

After  our  arrival  at  St.  Anthonys  Falls,  it  was  found  that  this  system 
of  picture  writing  was  as  familiar  to  the  Dacotah,  as  we  had  found  it 
imong  the  Algonquin  race.  At  Prairie  du  Chien,  and  at  Green  Bay, 
the  same  evidences  were  observed  among  the  Monomonees,  and  the  Win- 
nebagoes,  at  Chicago  among  the  Pottowottomies,  and  at  Michilimakinac, 
among  the  Chippewas  and  Ottawas  who  resort,  in  such  numbers,  to  that 
Island.  While  at  the  latter  place,  on  my  return,  1  went  to  visit  the  grave 
of  a  noted  chief  of  the  Monomonee  tribe,  who  had  been  known  by  his 
French  name  of  Toma,  i.  e.  Thomas.  He  had  been  buried  on  the  hill 
west  of  the  village ;  and  on  looking  at  his  Ad-je-da-tig  or  grave  post, 
it  bore  a  pictorial  inscription,  commemorating  some  of  the  prominent 
achievements  of  his  life. 

These  hints  served  to  direct  my  attention  to  the  subject  when  I  returned 
to  the  country  in  1 822.  The  figures  of  a  deer,  a  bear,  a  turtle,  and  a  crane, 
according  to  this  system,  stand  respectively  for  the  names  of  men,  and 
preserve  the  language  very  well,  by  yielding  to  the  person  conversant 
with  it,  the  corresponding  words,  of  Addick,  Muckwa,  Mickenock,  and 
Adjeejauk.  Marks,  circles,  or  dots,  of  various  kinds,  may  symbolize  the 
number  of  warlike  deeds.  Adjunct  devices  may  typify  or  explain  adjunct 
acts.  If  the  system  went  no  farther,  the  record  would  yield  a  kind  of  in 
formation  both  gratifying  and  useful  to  one  of  his  countrymen  who  had 


THE    ART    OF    PICTURE    WRITING.  299 

no  letters  and  was  expert  in  the  use  of  symbols ;  and  the  interpretation 
of  it,  would  be  easy  and  precise  in  proportion  as  the  signs  were  general, 
conventional,  and  well  understood.  There  was  abundant  evidence  in  my 
first  year's  observation,  to  denote  that  this  mode  of  communication  was  in 
vogue,  and  well  understood  by  the  northern  tribes  ;  but  it  hardly  seemed 
susceptible  of  a  farther  or  extended  use.  It  was  not  till  I  had  made  a 
personal  acquaintance  with  one  of  their  Medas — a  man  of  much  intelli 
gence,  and  well  versed  in  their  customs,  religion,  and  history,  that  a  more 
enlarged  application  of  it  appeared  to  be  practicable.  I  observed  in  the 
hands  of  this  man  a  tabular  piece  of  wood,  covered  over  on  both  sides, 
with  a  series  of  devices  cut  between  parallel  lines,  which  he  referred  to, 
as  if  they  were  the  notes  of  his  medicine  and  mystical  songs.  I  heard 
him  sing  these  songs,  and  observed  that-  their  succession  was  fixed  and 
uniform.  By  cultivating  his  acquaintance,  and  by  suitable  attention  and 
presents,  such  as  the  occasion  rendered  proper,  he  consented  to  explain 
the  meaning  of  each  figure,  the  object  symbolized,  and  the  words  attached 
to  each  symbol.  By  this  revelation,  which  was  made  with  closed  doors, 
I  became  a  member  or  initiate  of  the  Medicine  Society,  and  also  of  the 
Wabeno  Society.  Care  was  taken  to  write  each  sentence  of  the  songs 
and  chants  in  the  Indian  language,  with  its  appropriate  devices,  and  to 
subjoin  a  literal  translation  in  English.  When  this  had  been  done,  and 
the  system  considered,  it  was  very  clear  that  the  devices  were  mnemonic — 
that  any  person  could  sing  from  these  devices,  very  accurately,  what  he 
had  previously  committed  to  memory,  and  that  the  system  revealed  a  cu 
rious  scheme  of  symbolic  notation. 

All  the  figures  thus  employed,  as  the  initiatory  points  of  study,  related 
exclusively  to  either  the  medicine  dance,  or  the  wabeno  dance  ;  and  each 
section  of  figures,  related  exclusively  to  one  or  the  other.  There  was  no 
intermixture  or  commingling  of  characters,  although  the  class  of  subjects 
were  sometimes  common  to  each.  It  w^as  perceived,  subsequently,  that 
this  classification  of  symbols  extended  to  the  songs  devoted  to  war,  to 
hunting,  and  to  other  specific  topics.  The  entire  insr riptive  system,  reach 
ing  from  its  first  rudimental  characters,  in  the  ad-je-da-tig,  or  grave  board, 
to  the  extended  roll  of  bark  covered  with  the  incriptions  of  their  magi 
cians  and  prophets,  derived  a  new  interest  from  this  feature.  It  was  easy 
to  perceive  that  much  comparative  precision  was  imparted  to  interpreta 
tions  in  the  hands  of  the  initiated,  which  before,  or  to  others,  had  very 
little.  An  interest  was  thus  cast  over  it  distinct  from  its  novelty.  And 
in  truth,  the  entire  pictorial  system  was  thus  invested  with  the  character 
of  a  subject  of  acurate  investigation,  which  promised  both  interest  and  in 
struction. 

It  has  toen  thought  that  a  simple  statement  of  these  circumstances, 
would  best  answer  the  end  in  view,  and  might  well  occupy  the  place  of  a 
more  formal  or  profound  introduction.  In  bringing  forward  the  elements 


SCO  THE    ART    OF    PICTURE    WRITING. 

of  the  system,  after  much  reflection,  it  is  thought,  however,  that  a  few  re 
marks  on  the  general  character  of  this  art  may  not  be  out  of  place.  For, 
simple  as  it  is,  we  perceive  in  it  the  native  succedaneum  for  letters.  It  is 
not  only  the  sole  graphic  mode  they  have  for  communicating  ideas,  but  il 
is  the  mode  of  communicating  all  classes  of  ideas  commonly  entertained 
by  them — such  as  their  ideas  of  war,  of  hunting,  of  religion,  and  of 
magic  and  necromancy.  So  considered,  it  reveals  a  new  and  unsuspected 
mode  of  obtaining  light  on  their  opinions  of  a  deity,  of  the  structure  or 
cosmogony  of  the  globe,  of  astronomy,  the  various  classes  of  natural  ob 
jects,  their  ideas  of  immortality  and  a  future  state,  and  the  prevalent  no 
tions  of  the  union  of  spiritual  and  material  matter.  So  wide  and  varied, 
indeed,  is  the  range  opened  by  the  subject,  that  we  may  consider  the  In 
dian  system  of  picture  writing  as  the  thread  which  ties  up  the  scroll  of 
the  Red  man's  views  of  life  and  death,  reveals  the  true  theory  of  Lia 
hopes  and  fears,  and  denotes  the  relation  he  bears,  in  the  secret  chamber? 
of  his  own  thoughts,  to  his  Maker.  What  a  stoic  and  suspicious  temper 
would  often  hold  him  back  from  uttering  to  another,  and  what  a  limited 
language  would  sometimes  prevent  his  fully  revealing,  if  he  wrishedf 
symbols  and  figures  can  be  made  to  represent  and  express.  The  Indian 
is  not  a  man  prone  to  describe  his  god,  but  he  is  ready  to  depict  him,  by  a 
symbol.  He  may  conceal  under  the  figures  of  a  serpent,  a  turtle,  or  a 
wolf,  wisdom,  strength,  or  malignity,  or  convey  under  the  picture  of  the 
sun,  the  idea  of  a  supreme,  all-seeing  intelligence.  But  he  is  not  pre 
pared  to  discourse  upon  these  things.  What  he  believes  on  this  head,  he 
will  not  declare  to  a  white  man  or  a  stranger.  His  happiness  and  success 
in  life,  are  thought  to  depend  upon  the  secrecy  of  that  knowledge  of  the 
Creator  and  his  system  in  the  Indian  view  of  benign  and  malignant 
agents.  To  reveal  this  to  others,  even  to  his  own  people,  is,  he  believes, 
to  expose  himself  to  the  counteracting  influence  of  other  agents  known 
to  his  subtle  scheme  of  necromancy  and  superstition,  and  to  hazard  suc 
cess  and  life  itself.  This  conduces  to  make  the  Red  man  eminently  a 
man  of  fear,  suspicion,  and  secrecy.  But  he  cannot  avoid  some  of  these 
disclosures  in  his  pictures  and  figures.  These  figures  represent  ideas — 
whole  ideas,  and  their  juxtaposition  or  relation  on  a  roll  of  bark,  a  tree,  or 
a  rock,  discloses  a  continuity  of  ideas.  This  is  the  basis  of  the  system. 

Picture  writing  is  indeed  the  literature  of  the  Indians.  It  cannot  be 
interpreted,  however  rudely,  without  letting  one  know  what  the  Red  man 
thinks  and  believes.  It  shadows  forth  the  Indian  intellect,  it  stands  in  the 
place  of  letters  for  the  Unishinaba.  *  It  shows  the  Red  man  in  all  pe 
riods  of  our  history,  both  as  he  was,  and  as  he  is  ;  for  there  is  nothing 
more  true  than  that,  save  and  except  the  comparatively  few  instances 
where  they  have  truly  embraced  experimental  Christianity,  there  has  not 

*  A.  «*eneric  term  denoting  the  common  people  of  the  Indian  race. 


GRAVE    CREEK  MOUND. 

THIS  gigantic  tumulus,  the  largest  in  the  Ohio  valley,  was  opened  some 
four  or  five  years  ago,  and  found  to  contain  some  articles  of  high  antiquarian 
value,  in  addition  to  the  ordinary  discoveries  of  human  bones,  &c.  A 
rotunda  was  built  under  its  centre,  walled  with  brick,  and  roofed  over,  and 
having  a  long  gallery  leading  into  it,  at  the  base  of  the  mound.  Around 
this  circular  wall,  in  the  centre  of  this  heavy  and  damp  mass  of  earth,  with 
its  atmosphere  of  peculiar  and  pungent  character,  the  skeletons  and  other 
disinterred  articles,  are  hung  up  for  the  gratification  of  visiters,  the  whole 
lighted  up  with  candles,  which  have  the  effect  to  give  a  strikingly  sepul 
chral  air  to  the  whole  scene.  But  what  adds  most  to  this  effect,  is  a  kind 
of  exuded  flaky  matter,  very  white  and  soft,  and  rendered  brilliant  by 
dependent  drops  of  water,  which  hangs  in  rude  festoons  from  the  ceiling. 
To  this  rotunda,  it  is  said,  a  delegation  of  Indians  paid  a  visit  a  year  or 
two  since.  In  the  "  Wheeling  Times  and  Advertiser"  of  the  30th  August 
1843,  the  following  communication,  respecting  this  visit,  introducing  a 
short  dramatic  poem,  was  published. 

"  An  aged  Cherokee  chief  who,  on  his  way  to  the  west,  visited  the  ro 
tunda  excavated  in  this  gigantic  tumulus,  with  its  skeletons  and  other 
relics  arranged  around  the  walls,  became  so  indignant  at  the  desecration 
and  display  of  sepulchral  secrets  to  the  white  race,  that  his  companions 
and  interpreter  found  it  difficult  to  restrain  him  from  assassinating  the 
guide.  His  language  assumed  the  tone  of  fury,  and  he  brandished  his 
knife,  as  they  forced  him  out  of  the  passage.  Soon  after,  he  was  found 
prostrated,  with  his  senses  steeped  in  the  influence  of  alcohol. 

"'Tis  not  enough!  that  hated  race 

Should  hunt  us  out,  from  grove  and  place 

And  consecrated  shore — where  long 

Our  fathers  raised  the  lance  and  song — 
Tis  not  enough ! — that  we  must  go 

Where  streams  and  rushing  fountains  flow 

Whose  murmurs,  heard  amid  our  fears, 

Fall  only  on  a  stranger's  ears — 

'Tis  not  enough ! — that  with  a  wand, 

They  sweep  away  our  pleasant  land, 

And  bid  us,  as  some  giant-foe, 

Or  willing,  or  unwilling  go  \ 

But  they  must  ope  our  very  graves 

To  tell  the  dead — they  too,  are  slaves." 


NAMES  OF  THE  AMERICAN  LAKES. 

ONTARIO,  is  a  word  from  the  'Wyandot,  or,  as  called  by  the  Iroquois, 
duatoghie  language.  This  tribe,  prior  to  the  outbreak  of  the  war  against 
them,  by  their  kindred  the  Iroquois,  lived  on  a  bay,  near  Kingston,  which 
was  the  ancient  point  of  embarkation  and  debarkation,  or,  in  other  words, 
at  once  the  commencement  and  the  terminus  of  the  portage,  according  to 
the  point  of  destination  for  all,  who  passed  into  or  out  of  the  lake.  From 
such  a  point  it  was  natural  that  a  term  so  euphonous,  should  prevail  among 
Europeans,  over  the  other  Indian  names  in  use.  The  Mohawks  and  their 
confederates,  generally,  called  it  Cadaracqui — which  was  also  their  name 
for  the  St.  Lawrence.  The  Onondagas,  it  is  believed,  knew  it,  in  early 
times,  by  the  name  of  Oswego.*  Of  the  meaning  of  Ontario,  we  are  left 
in  the  dark  by  commentators  on  the  Indian.  Philology  casts  some  light 
on  the  subject.  The  first  syllable,  on,  it  may  be  observed,  appears  to  be 
the  notarial  increment  or  syllable  of  Onondio,  a  hill.  Tarak,  is  clearly, 
the  same  phrase,  written  darac,  by  the  French,  in  the  Mohawk  compound 
of  Cadaracqui;  and  denotes  rocks,  i.  e.  rocks  standing  in  the  water.  IP 
the  final  vowels  ?]o,  we  have  the  same  term,  with  the  same  meaning  whicl 
they  carry  in  the  Seneca,  or  old  Mingo  word  Ohio.f  It  is  descriptive  of 
an  extended  and  beautiful  water  prospect,  or  landscape.  It  possesses  all 
the  properties  of  an  exclamation,  in  other  languages,  but  according  to  the 
unique  principles  of  the  Indian  grammar,  it  is  an  exclamation-substan 
tive.  How  beautiful !  [the  prospect,  scene  present.] 

Erie  is  the  name  of  a  tribe  conquered  or  extinguished  by  the  Iroquois. 
We  cannot  stop  to  inquire  into  this  fact  historically,  farther  than  to  say, 
that  it  was  the  policy  of  this  people  to  adopt  into  their  different  tribes  of 
the  confederacy,  the  remnants  of  nations  whom  they  conquered,  arid  that 
it  was  not  probable,  therefore,  that  the  Erie.*,  were  annihilated.  Nor  is  it 
probable  that  they  were  a  people  very  remote  in  kindred  and  language 
from  the  ancient  Sinondowans,  or  Senecas,  who,  it  may  be  supposed,  by 
crushing  them,  destroyed  and  exterminated  their  name  only,  while  they 
strengthened  their  numbers  by  this  inter-adoption.  In  many  old  maps, 
this  lake  bears  the  name  of  Erie  or  "Oskwago." 

Huron,  is  the  nom  de  guerre  of  the  French,  for  the  '' Yendats,"  as 
they  are  called  in  some  old  authors,  or  the  Wyandots.  Charlevoix  tells 
us  that  it  is  a  term  derived  from  the  French  word  hure,  [a  wild  boar,]  and 
was  applied  to  this  nation  from  the  mode  of  wearing  their  hair.  "Gluelles 
Hures!"  said  the  first  visiters,  when  they  saw  them,  and  hence,  according 
to  this  respectable  author,  the  word  Huron. 

*  Vide  a  Reminiscence  of  Oswego. 

t  The  sound  of  i  in  this  word,  as  in  Ontario,  is  long  e  in  the  Indian. 

302 


NAMES    OF    THE    AMERICAN    LAKES. 


303 


When  this  nation,  with  their  confederates,  the  Algonquins,  or  Adiron- 
daks,  as  the  Iroquois  called  them,  were  overthrown  in  several  decisive 
battles  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  between  Montreal  and  Quebec,  and  compelled 
to  fly  west;  they  at  first  took  shelter  in  this  lake,  and  thus  transferred  their 
name  to  it.  With  them,  or  at  least,  at  the  same  general  era,  came  some 
others  of  the  tribes  who  made  a  part  of  the  people  called  by  the  French, 
Algonquins.  or  Nipercineans,  and  who  thus  constituted  the  several  tribes, 
speaking-  a  closely  cognate  language,  whose  descendants  are  regarded  by 
philologists,  as  the  modern  Lake-Algonquins. 

The  French  sometimes  called  this  lake  Mer  douce,  or  the  Placid  sea. 
The  Odjibwas  and  some  other  northern  tribes  of  that  stock,  call  it  Ottowa 
lake.  No  term  has  been  found  for  it  in  the  Iroquois  language,  unless  it 
be  that  by  which  they  distinguished  its  principal  seat  of  trade,  negociation 
and  early  rendezvous,  the  island  of  Michilimackinac,  which  they  called 
Tiedondera^hie. 

Michigan  is  a  derivative  from  two  Odjibwa-Algonquin  words,  signify 
ing  large,  i.  e.  large  in  relation  to  masses  in  the  inorganic  kingdom,  and 
a  lake.  The  French  called  it,  generally,  during  the  earlier  periods  of 
their  transactions,  the  lake  of  the  Illinese,  or  Illinois. 

Superior,  the  most  northwesterly,  and  the  largest  of  the  series,  is  a  term 
which  appears  to  have  come  into  general  use,  at  a  comparatively  early 
era,  after  the  planting  of  the  English  colonies.  The  French  bestowed 
upon  it,  unsuccessfully,  one  or  two  names,  the  last  of  which  was  Traci, 
after  the  French  minister  of  this  name.  By  the  Odjibwa-Algonquins, 
who  at  the  period  of  the  French  discovery,  and  who  still  occupy  its 
borders,  it  is  called  Gitch-Igomee,  or  The  Big  Sea-water;  from  Gitchee, 
great,  and  gmna,  a  generic  term  for  bodies  of  water.  The  term  IGOMA, 
is  an  abbreviated  form  of  this,  suggested  for  adoption. 


The  poetry  of  the  Indians,  is  the  poetry  of  naked  thought.  They 
have  neither  ryhme,  nor  metre  to  adorn  it. 

Tales  and  traditions  occupy  the  place  of  books,  with  the  Red  Race. — 
They  make  up  a  kind  of  oral  literature,  which  is  resorted  to,  on  long 
winter  evenings,  for  the  amusement  of  the  lodge. 

The  love  of  independence  is  so  great  with  these  tribes,  that  they  have 
never  been  willing  to  load  their  political  system  with  the  forms  of  a  regu 
lar  government,  for  fear  it  might  prove  oppressive. 

To  be  governed  and  to  be  enslaved,  are  ideas  which  have  been  con 
founded  by  the  Indians. 


GEOGRAPHICAL  TERMINOLOGY  OF  THE  U.  STATES, 

DERIVED   FROM   THE   INDIAN   LANGUAGE. 
These  Extracts  are  made  from  "  Cyclopaedia    Indiaensis  "  a  MS.  work  in  preparation. 

No.   I. 

HUDSON  RIVER. — By  the  tribes  who  inhabited  the  area  of  the  present 
County  of  Dutchess,  and  other  portions  of  its  eastern  banks,  as  low  down 
as  Tappan,  this  river  was  called  Shaterriuc — which  is  believed  to  be  a  de 
rivative  from  Shata,  a  pelican.  The  Minisi,  who  inhabited  the  west  banks, 
below  the  point  denoted,  extending  indeed  over  all  the  east  half  of  New 
Jersey,  to  the  falls  of  the  Raritan,  where  they  joined  their  kindred  the 
Lenni  Lenape,  or  Delawares  proper,  called  it  Mohicanittuck — that  is  to 
say,  River  of  the  Mohicans.  The  Mohawks,  and  probably  the  other 
branches  of  the  Iroquois,  called  it  Cahohatatea — a  term  of  which  the  in 
terpreters  who  have  furnished  the  word,  do  not  give  an  explanation.  The 
prefixed  term  Caho,  it  may  be  observed,  is  their  name  for  the  lower  and 
principal  falls  of  the  Mohawk.  Sometimes  this  prefix  was  doubled,  with 
the  particle  ha,  thrown  in  between.  Hatatea  is  clearly  one  of  those  de 
scriptive  and  affirmative  phrases  representing  objects  in  the  vegetable  and 
mineral  kingdoms,  which  admitted  as  we  see,  in  other  instances  of  their 
compounds,  a  very  wide  range.  By  some  of  the  more  westerly  Iro 
quois,  the  river  was  called  Sanataty. 

ALBANY. — The  name  by  which  this  place  was  known  to  the  Iroquois, 
at  an  early  day,  was  Schenectady.  a  term  which,  as  recently  pronounced 
by  a  daughter  of  Brant,  yet  living  in  Canada,  has  the  still  harsher  sound 
of  Skoh-nek-ta-ti,  with  a  stress  on  the  first,  and  the  accent  strongly  on 
the  second  syllable,  the  third  and  fourth  being  pronounced  rapidly  and 
short.  The  transference  of  this  name,  to  its  present  location,  by  the  Eng 
lish,  on  the  bestowal  on  the  place  by  Col.  Nichols,  of  a  new  name,  derived 
from  the  Duke  of  York's  Scottish  title,  is  well  known,  and  is  stated, 
with  some  connected  traditions,  by  Judge  Benson,  in  his  eccentric  memoir 
before  the  New  York  Historical  Society.  The  meaning  of  this  name,  as 
derived  from  the  authority  above  quoted,  is  Beyond  the  Pines,  having 
been  applied  exclusively  in  ancient  times,  to  the  southern  end  of  the 
ancient  portage  path,  from  the  Mohawk  to  the  Hudson.  By  the  Minci, 
who  did  not  live  here,  but  extended,  however,  on  the  west  shore  above 
Coxackie,  and  even  Coeymans,  it  appeals  to  have  been  called  Gaishtinic. 
The  Mohegans,  who  long  continued  to  occupy  the  present  area  of  Rens- 
selear  and  Columbia  counties,  called  it  Pempotawuthut,  that  is  to  say,  the 
City  or  Place  of  the  Council  Fire.  None  of  these  terms  appear  to  have 

304 


GEOGRAPHICAL  TERMINOLOGY  OF  THE  U.  STATES.          305 

found  favour  with  the  European  settlers,  and,  together  with  their  prior 
names  of  Beavervvyck  and  Fort  Orange,  they  at  once  gave  way,  in  1664, 
to  the  present  name.  A  once  noted  eminence,  three  miles  west,  on 
the  plains,  i.  e.  Trader's  Hill,  was  called  Isutchera,  or  by  prefixing  the 
name  for  a  hill,  Yonondio  Isutchera.  It  means  the  hill  of  oil  Norman's 
Kill,  which  enters  the  Hudson  a  little  below,  the  Mohawks  called 
Towasentha,  a  term  which  is  translated  by  Dr.  Yates,  to  mean;  a  place 
of  many  dead. 

NIAGARA. — It  is  not  in  unison,  perhaps,  with  general  expectation,  to  find 
that  the  exact  translation  of  this  name  does  not  entirely  fulfil  poetic  pre 
conception.  By  the  term  O-ne-aw-ga-ra,  the  Mohawks  and  their  co-tribes 
described  on  the  return  of  their  war  excursions,  the  neck  of  water  which 
connects  lake  Erie  with  Ontario.  The  term  is  derived  from  their  name 
for  the  human  neck.  Whether  this  term  was  designed  to  have,  as  many 
of  their  names  do,  a  symbolic  import,  and  to  denote  the  importance  of  this 
communication  in  geography,  as  connecting  the  head  and  heart  of  the 
country,  can  only  be  conjectured.  Nor  is  it,  in  this  instance,  probable. 
When  Europeans  came  to  see  the  gigantic  falls  which  marked  the  strait, 
it  was  natural  that  they  should  have  supposed  the  name  descriptive  of  that 
particular  feature,  rather  than  the  entire  river  and  portage.  We  have 
been  assured,  however,  that  it  is  not  their  original  name  for  the  water-fall, 
although  with  them,  as  with  us,  it  may  have  absorbed  this  meaning. 

BUFFALO. — The  name  of  this  place  in  the  Seneca,  is  Te-ho-sa-ro-ro.  Its 
import  is  not  stated. 

DETROIT. — By  the  Wyandots,  this  place  is  called  Teuchsagrondie  ; 
by  the  Lake  tribes  of  the  Algic  type,  Wa-we-a-tun-ong:  both  terms  sig 
nify  the  Place  of  the  turning  or  Turned  Channel.  It  has  been  remarked 
by  visitors  who  reach  this  place  at  night,  or  in  dark  weather,  or  are  other 
wise  inattentive  to  the  courses,  that  owing  to  the  extraordinary  involutions 
of  the  current  the  sun  appears  to  rise  in  the  wrong  place. 

CHICAGO. — This  name,  in  the  Lake  Algonquin  dialects,  to  preserve  the 
same  mode  of  orthography,  is  derived  from  Chicagowunzh,  the  wild 
onion  or  leek.  The  orthography  is  French,  as  they  were  the  discoverers 
and  early  settlers  of  this  part  of  the  west.  Kaug,  in  these  dialects  is  a 
porcupine,  and  She  kaug  a  polecat.  The  analogies  in  these  words  are 
apparent,  but  whether  the  onion  was  named  before  or  after  the  animal, 
must  be  judged  if  the  age  of  the  derivation  be  sought  for. 

TUSCALOOSA,  a  river  of  Alabama.  From  the  Chacta  words  tushka,  a 
warrior,  and  lusa  black. — [Gallatin.] 

ARAGISKE,  the  Iroquois  name  for  Virginia. 

ASSARIGOA,  the  name  of  the  Six  Nations  for  the  Governor  of  Virginia. 

OWENAGUNGAS,  a  general  name  of  the  Iroquois  for  the  New  England 
Indians. 

OTESEONTEO,  a  spring  which  is  the  head  of  the  river  Delaware. 

20 


306 


GEOGRAPHICAL    TERMINOLOGY    OF    THE    U.    STATES. 


ONTOXAGON  ;  a  considerable  river  of  lake  Superior,  noted  from  early 
times,  for  the  large  mass  of  native  copper  found  on  its  banks.  This  name 
is  said  to  have  been  derived  from  the  following  incident.  It  is  known 
that  there  is  a  small  bay  and  dead  water  for  some  distance  within  its 
mouth.  Inland  out  of  this  embayed  water,  the  lake  alternately  flows,  ac 
cording  to  the  influence  of  the  winds,  and  other  causes,  upon  its  level. 
An  Indian  woman  had  left  her  wooden  dish,  or  Onagon,  on  the  sands,  at 
the  shore  of  this  little  bay,  where  she  had  been  engaged.  On  coming 
back  from  her  lodge,  the  outflowing  current  had  carried  off  her  valued 
utensil.  Nia  Nin-do-nau-gon  !  she  exclaimed,  for  it  was  a  curious  piece 
of  workmanship.  That  is  to  say — Alas  !  my  dish ! 

CHUAH-NAH-WHAH-HAH,  or  Valley  of  the  Mountains.  A  new  pass  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  discovered  within  a  few  years.  It  is  supposed  to  be 
in  N.  latitude  about  40°.  The  western  end  of  the  valley  gap  is  30  miles 
wide,  which  narrows  to  20  at  its  eastern  termination,  it  then  turns  oblique 
to  the  north,  and  the  opposing  sides  appear  to  close  the  pass,  yet  there  is 
a  narrow  way  quite  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  On  the  summit  there  is 
a  large  beaver  pond,  which  has  outlets  both  ways,  but  the  eastern  stream 
dries  early  in  the  season,  while  there  is  a  continuous  flow  of  water  west. 
In  its  course,  it  has  several  beautiful,  but  low  cascades,  and  terminates  in  a 
placid  and  delightful  stream.  This  pass  is  now  used  by  emigrants. 

AQUIDNECK. — The  Narragansett  name  for  Rhode  Island.  Roger  Wil 
liams  observes,  that  he  could  never  obtain  the  meaning  of  it  from  the  na 
tives.  The  Dutch,  as  appears  by  a  map  of  Novi  Belgii  published  at  Am 
sterdam  in  1659,  called  it  Roode  Eylant,  or  Red  Island,  from  the  autum 
nal  colour  of  its  foliage.  The  present  term,  as  is  noticed,  in  Vol.  III.  of 
the  Collections  of  the  R.  I.  Hist.  goc.  is  derived  from  this. 

INCAPATCHOW,  a  beautiful  lake  in  the  mountains  at  the  sources  of  the 
river  Hudson. — [Charles  F.  Hoffman,  Esq.] 

HOUSATONIC  ;  a  river  originating  in  the  south-western  part  of  Massa 
chusetts,  and  flowing  through  the  State  of  Connecticut  into  Long  Island 
Sound,  at  Stratford  It  is  a  term  of  Mohegan  origin.  This  tribe  on  retiring 
eastward  from  the  banks  of  the  Hudson,  passed  over  the  High-lands,  into 
this  inviting  valley.  We  have  no  transmitted  etymology  of  the  term, 
and  must  rely  on  the  general  principles  of  their  vocabulary.  It  appears 
to  have  been  called  the  valley  of  the  stream  beyond  the  Mountains,  from 
ou,  the  notarial  sign  of  wudjo,  a  mountain,  atun,  a  generic  phrase  for 
stream  or  channel,  and  ic,  the  inflection  for  locality. 

WEA-NUD-NEC. — The  Indian  name,  as  furnished  by  Mr.  O'Sullivan. 
[D.  Rev.]  for  Saddle  Mountain,  Massachusetts.  It  appears  to  be  a  deriva 
tive  from  Wa-we-a,  round,  i.  e.  any  thing  round  or  crooked,  in  the  inani 
mate  creation. 

MA-HAI-WE  ;  The  Mohegan  term,  as  given  by  Mr.  Bryant  [N.  Y.  E.  P.] 
for  Great  Harrington,  Berkshire  County,  Massachusetts. 


GEOGRAPHICAL    TERMINOLOGY    OF   THE    U.    STATES.        307 

MASSACHUSETTS. — This  was  not  the  name  of  a  particular  tribe,  but  a 
geographical  term  applied,  it  should  seem,  to  that  part  of  the  shores  of  the 
North  Atlantic,  which  is  swept  by  the  tide  setting  into,  and  around  tho 
peninsula  of  Cape  Cod,  and  the  wide  range  of  coast  trending  southerly, 
It  became  a  generic  word,  at  an  early  day,  for  the  tribes  who  inhabited  this 
coast.  It  is  said  to  be  a  word  of  Narragansett  origin,  and  to  signify  the 
Blue  Hills.  This  is  the  account  given  of  it  by  Roger  Williams,  who 
was  toid,  by  the  Indians,  that  it  had  its  origin  from  the  appearance  of 
an  island  off  the  coast.  It  would  be  more  in  conformity  to  the  general 
requisitions  of  ethnography,  to  denominate  the  language  the  New  Eng 
land-Algonquin,  for  there  are  such  great  resemblances  in  the  vocabulary 
and  such  an  identity  in  grammatical  construction,  in  these  tribes,  that  we 
are  constantly  in  danger,  by  partial  conclusions  as  to  original  supremacy, 
of  doing  injustice.  The  source  of  origin  was  doubtless  west  and  south 
west,  but  we  cannot  stop  at  the  Narragansetts,  who  were  themselves  deriva 
tive  from  tribes  still  farther  south.  The  general  meaning  given  by  Wil 
liams  seems,  however,  to  be  sustained,  so  far  as  can  now  be  judged.  The 
terminations  in  ett,  and  set,  as  well  as  those  in  at  and  ak,  denoted  locality 
in  these  various  tribes.  We  see  also,  in  the  antipenultimate  Chu,  the  root 
of  Wudjo,  a  mountain. 

TA-HA-WUS,  a  very  commanding  elevation,  several  thousand  feet  above 
the  sea,  which  has  of  late  years,  been  discovered  at  the  sources  of  the 
Hudson,  and  named  Mount  Marcy.  It  signifies,  he  splits  the  sky. — 
[Charles  F.  Hoffman,  Esq.] 

MONG,  the  name  of  a  distinguished  chief  of  New  England,  as  it  appears 
to  be  recorded  in  the  ancient  pictorial  inscription  on  the  Dighton  Rock, 
in  Massachusetts,  who  flourished  before  the  country  was  colonized  by  the 
English.  He  was  both  a  war  captain,  and  a  prophet,  and  employed  the 
arts  of  the  latter  office,  to  increase  his  power  and  influence,  in  the  former. 
By  patient  application  of  his  ceremonial  arts,  he  secured  the  confidence 
of  a  large  body  of  men,  who  were  led  on,  in  the  attack  on  his  enemies, 
by  a  man  named  Piz-hu.  In  this  onset,  it  is  claimed  that  he  killed  forty 
men,  and  lost  three.  To  the  warrior  who  should  be  succesful,  in  this  en- 
terprize,  he  had  promised  his  younger  sister.  [Such  are  the  leading  events 
symbolized  by  this  inscription,  of  which  extracts  giving  full  details,  as  in 
terpreted  by  an  Indian  chief,  now  living,  and  read  before  the  Am.  Ethno 
logical  Society,  in  1843,  will  be  furnished,  in  a  subsequent  number.] 

TIOGA. — A  stream,  and  a  county  of  the  State  of  New- York.  From 
Teoga,  a  swift  current,  exciting  admiration. 

DIONDEROGA,  an  ancient  name  of  the  Mohawk  tribe,  for  the  site  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Schoharie  creek,  where  Fort  Hunter  was  afterwards  built. 
[Col.  W.  L.  Stone.] 

ALMOUCHICO,  a  generic  name  of  the  Indians  for  New  England,  as  printed 


SOS  AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES,    ETC. 

on  the  Amsterdam  map  of  1659,  in  which  it  is  stated  that  it  was  thus  "  by 
d  inwoonders  genaemt."    (So  named  by  the  natives.) 

IROCOISIA,  a  name  bestowed  in  the  map,  above  quoted,  on  that  portion  of 
the  present  state  of  Vermont,  which  lies  west  of  the  Green  Mountains, 
stretching  along  the  eastern  bank  of  Lake  Champlain.  By  the  applica 
tion  of  the  word,  it  is  perceived  that  the  French  were  not  alone  m  the  use 
they  made  of  the  apparently  derivative  term  "Iroquois,"  which  they 
gave  to  the  (then)  Five  Nations. 


NAMES  OF  THE  SEASONS. 

The  following  are  tne  names  of  the  four  seasons,  in  the  Odjibwa 
tongue : 

Pe-bon,  Winter,         From  Kone,        Snow. 

Se-gwun,         Spring,  "       Se.eg,         Running  water. 

Ne-bin,  Summer,          "       Anib,         A  leaf. 

Ta-gwa-gi,      Autumn,  "       Gwag,       The  radix  of  behind  &c. 

By  adding  the  letter  g  to  these  terms,  they  are  placed  in  the  relation  of 
verbs  in  the  future  tense,  but  a  limited  future,  and  the  terms  then  denote 
next  winter,  &c.  Years,  in  their  account  of  time,  are  counted  by  winters. 
There  is  no  other  term,  but  pe-boan,  for  a  year.  The  year  consists  of 
twelve  lunar  months,  or  moons.  A  moon  is  called  Geezis,  or  when 
spoken  of  in  contradistinction  to  the  sun,  Dibik  Geezis,  or  night-sun 
The  cardinal  points  are  as  follows. 

(a)  North,  Ke  wa  din-ung. 

(b)  South,  O  sha  wan-ung. 

(c)  East,  Wa  bun-ung. 

(d)  West,  Ka  be  un-ung. 

a.  Kewadin  is  a  compound  derived  from  Ke-wa,  to  return,  or  come 
home,  and  nodin,  the  wind.  b.  Oshauw  is,  from  a  root  not  apparent,  but 
which  produces  also  ozau,  yellow,  &c.  c.  Waban  is  from  ab,  or  wab,  light. 
d.  Kabeun,  is  the  name  of  a  mythological  person,  who  is  spoken  of,  in 
their  fictions,  as  the  father  of  the  winds.  The  inflection  ung,  or  oong,  in 
each  term,  denotes  course,  olace,  or  locality. 


LETTERS    ON    THE    ANTIQUITIES    OF    THE 
WESTERN    COUNTRY, 

ADDRESSED     TO     THE     LATE     WILLIAM     L.     STONE,   EDITOR     OP     THE     NEW    YORK 
COMMERCIAL    ADVERTISER. 


I. 

WHEELING  (Va.),  August  19th,  1843. 

I  HAVE  just  accomplished  the  passage  of  the  Alleghany  mountains,  in 
the  direction  from  Baltimore  to  this  place,  and  must  say,  that  aside  from 
the  necessary  fatigue  of  night  riding,  the  pass  from  the  Cumberland 
mountains  and  Laurel  Hill  is  one  of  the  easiest  and  most  free  from 
danger  of  any  known  to  me  in  this  vast  range.  An  excellent  railroad 
now  extends  from  Baltimore,  by  Frederick  and  Harper's  Ferry,  up  the 
Potomac  valley  and  its  north  branch  quite  to  Cumberland,  which  is 
seated  just  under  the  mountains,  whose  peaks  would  seem  to  bar  all 
farther  approach.  The  national  road  finds  its  way,  however,  through  a 
gorge,  and  winds  about  where  "  Alps  on  Alps  arise,"  till  the  whole  vast 
and  broad-backed  elevation  is  passed,  and  we  descend  west,  over  a 
smooth,  well  constructed  macadamized  road,  with  a  velocity  which  is 
some  compensation  for  the  toil  of  winding  our  way  up.  Uniontown  is 
the  first  principal  place  west.  The  Monongahela  is  crossed  at  Browns 
ville,  some  forty  miles  above  Pittsburgh,  whence  the  road,  which  is 
everywhere  well  made  and  secured  with  fine  stone  bridges,  culverts  and 
viaducts,  winds  around  a  succession  of  most  enchanting  hills,  till  it 
enters  a  valley,  winds  up  a  few  more  hills,  and  brings  the  travellers  out, 
on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  at  this  town 

309 


310  LETTERS    ON    THE     ANTIQUITIES 

The  entire  distance  from  the  head  of  the  Chesapeake  to  the  waters 
of  the  Ohio  is  not  essentially  different  from  three  hundred  miles.  We 
were  less  than  two  days  in  passing  it,  twenty-six  hours  of  which,  part 
night  and  part  day,  were  spent  in  post-coaches  between  Cumberland  and 
this  place.  Harper's  Ferry  is  an  impressive  scene,  but  less  so  than  it 
would  be  to  a  tourist  who  had  not  his  fancy  excited  by  injudicious 
descriptions.  To  me,  the  romance  was  quite  taken  away  by  driving 
into  it  with  a  tremendous  clattering  power  of  steam.  The  geological 
structure  of  this  section  of  country,  from  water  to  water,  is  not  without 
an  impressive  lesson.  In  rising  from  the  Chesapeake  waters  the  strati 
fied  rocks  are  lifted  up,  pointing  west,  or  towards  the  Alleghanies,  and 
after  crossing  the  summit  they  point  east,  or  directly  contrary,  like  the 
two  sides  of  the  roof  of  a  house,  and  leave  the  inevitable  conclusion 
that  the  Alleghanies  have  been  lifted  up  by  a  lateral  rent,  as  it  were,  at 
the  relative  point  of  the  ridge  pole.  It  is  in  this  way  that  the  granites 
and  their  congeners  have  been  raised  up  into  their  present  elevations, 

I  did  not  see  any  evidence  of  that  wave-like  or  undulatory  structure, 
which  was  brought  forward  as  a  theory  last  year,  in  an  able  paper  for 
warded  by  Professor  Rogers,  and  read  at  the  meeting  of  the  British  Asso 
ciation  for  the  Advancement  of  Science  at  Manchester.  No  organic 
remains  are,  of  course,  visible,  in  this  particular  section,  at  least  until 
we  strike  the  coal  and  iron-stone  formation  of  Pittsburgh.  But  I  have 
been  renewedly  impressed  with  the  opinion,  so  very  opposite  to  the 
present  geological  theory,  that  less  than  seven  thousand  years  is  suffi 
cient,  on  scientific  principles,  to  account  for  all  the  phenomena  of  fossil 
plants,  shells,  bones  and  organic  remains,  as  well  as  the  displacements, 
disruptions,  subsidences  and  rising  of  strata,  and  other  evidences  of 
extensive  physical  changes  and  disturbances  on  the  earth's  surface.  And 
I  hope  to  live  to  see  some  American  geologist  build  up  a  theory  on  just 
philosophical  and  scientific  principles,  which  shall  bear  the  test  of  truth. 

But  you  will,  perhaps,  be  ready  to  think  that  I  have  felt  more  interest 
in  the  impressions  of  plants  in  stone,  than  is  to  be  found  in  the  field  of 
waving  corn  before  the  eye.  1  have,  however,  by  no  means  neglected 
the  latter  ;  and  can  assure  you  that  the  crops  of  corn,  wheat  and  other 
grains,  throughout  Maryland,  Pennsylvania  and  Western  Virginia,  are 
excellent.  Even  the  highest  valleys  in  the  Alleghanies  are  covered 
with  crops  of  corn,  or  fields  of  stacked  wheat  and  other  grains.  Gene 
rally,  the  soil  west  of  the  mountains  is  more  fertile.  The  influence  of 
the  great  western  limestones,  as  one  of  its  original  materials,  and  of  the 
oxide  of  iron,  is  clearly  denoted  in  heavier  and  more  thrifty  cornfields 
along  the  Monongahela  and  Ohio  valleys. 

Of  the  Ohio  River  itself,  one  who  had  seen  it  in  its  full  flow,  in  April 
and  May,  would  hardly  recognize  it  now.  Shrunk  in  a  volume  far 
below  its  noble  banks,  with  long  spits  of  sand  and  gravel  running  almost 


OF    THE    WESTERN    COUNTRY.  31] 

across  it,  and  level  sandy  margins,  once  covered  by  water,  where  armies 
might  now  manoeuvre,  it  is  bat  the  skeleton  of  itself.  Steamboats  of  a 
hundred  tons  burden  now  scarcely  creep  along  its  channel,  which  would 
form  cockboats  for  the  floating  palaces  to  be  seen  here  in  the  days  of 
its  vernal  and  autumnal  glory. 

Truly  yours, 

HENRY  R.  COLCRAFT 


II- 

GRA\TE  CREEK  FLATS  (Va.),  August  23,  1S43. 
I  HAVE  devoted  several  days  to  the  examination  of  the  antiquities  of 
this  place  and  its  vicinity,  and  find  them  to  be  of  even  more  interest 
thin  was  anticipated.  The  most  prominent  object  of  curiosity  is  the 
great  tumulus,  of  which  notices  have  appeared  in  western  papers  ;  but 
this  heavy  structure  of  earth  is  not  isolated.  It  is  but  one  of  a  series 
of  nounds  and  other  evidences  of  ancient  occupation  at  this  point,  of 
moie  than  ordinary  interest.  I  have  visited  and  examined  seven  mounds, 
situated  within  a  short  distance  of  each  other.  They  occupy  the  summit 
level  of  a  rich  alluvial  plain,  stretching  on  the  left  or  Virginia  bank  of 
the  Ohio,  between  the  junctions  of  Big  and  Little  Grave  Creeks  with 
that  jtream.  They  appear  to  have  been  connected  by  low  earthen 
entrenchments,  of  which  plain  traces  are  still  visible  on  some  parts  of 
the  conmons.  They  included  a  well,  stoned  up  in  the  usual  manner, 
which  is  now  filled  with  rubbish. 

The  summit  of  this  plain  is  probably  seventy-five  feet  above  the 
present  summer  level  of  the  Ohio.  It  constitutes  the  second  bench,  or 
rise  of  laid,  above  the  water.  It  is  on  this  summit,  and  on  one  of  the 
most  elevated  parts  of  it,  that  the  great  tumulus  stands.  It  is  in  the 
shape  of  a  broad  cone,  cut  off  at  the  apex,  where  it  is  some  fifty  feet 
across.  This  area  is  quite  level,  and  commands  a  view  of  the  entire 
plain,  and  of  the  river  above  and  below,  and  the  west  shores  of  the 
Ohio  in  front.  Any  public  transaction  on  this  area  would  be  visible  to 
multitudes  around  it,  and  it  has,  in  this  respect,  all  the  advantages  of  the 
Mexican  anc  Yucatanese  teocalli.  The  circumference  of  the  base  has 
been  stated  a;  a  little  under  nine  hundred  feet ;  the  height  is  sixty-nine 
feet. 

The  most  interesting  object  of  antiquarian  inquiry  is  a  small  flat  stone, 
inscribed  with  antique  alphabetic  characters,  which  was  disclosed  on  the 
opening  of  the  'arge  mound.  These  characters  are  in  the  ancient  rock 
alphabet  of  sixteen  right  and  acute  angled  single  stokes,  used  by  the 
Pelasgi  and  other  early  Mediterranean  nations,  and  which  is  the  parent 


312  LETTERS    ON  THE   ANTIQUITIES 

of  the  modern  Runic  as  well  as  the  Bardic.  It  is  now  some  four  or  five 
years  since  the  completion  of  the  excavations,  so  far  as  they  have  been 
made,  and  the  discovery  of  this  relic.  Several  copies  of  it  soon  got 
abroad,  which  differed  from  each  other,  and,  it  was  supposed,  from  the 
original.  This  conjecture  is  true  ;  neither  the  print  published  in  the 
Cincinnati  Gazette,  in  1839,  nor  that  in  the  American  Pioneer,  in  1843, 
is  correct.  I  have  terminated  this  uncertainty  by  taking  copies  by  a 
scientific  process,  which  does  not  leave  the  lines  and  figures  to  tie 
uncertainty  of  man's  pencil. 

The  existence  of  this  ancient  art  here  could  hardly  be  admitted,  other 
wise  than  as  an  insulated  fact,  without  some  corroborative  evidence,  in 
habits  and  customs,  which  it  would  be  reasonable  to  look  for  ia  the 
existing  ruins  of  ancient  occupancy.  It  is  thought  some  such  testimony 
has  been  found.  I  rode  out  yesterday  three  miles  back  to  the  range  of 
high  hills  which  encompass  this  sub-valley,  to  see  a  rude  tower  of  stone 
standing  on  an  elevated  point,  called  Parr's  point,  which  commands  a 
view  of  the  whole  plain,  and  which  appears  to  have  been  constructed 
as  a  watch-tower,  or  look-out,  from  which  to  descry  an  approachjhg 
enemy.  It  is  much  dilapidated.  About  six  or  seven  feet  of  the  wwk 
is  still  entire.  It  is  circular,  and  composed  of  rough  stones,  laid  with 
out  mortar,  or  the  mark  of  a  hammer.  A  heavy  mass  of  fallen  wall/lies 
around,  covering  an  area  of  some  forty  feet  in  diameter.  Two  similar 
points  of  observation,  occupied  by  dilapidated  towers,  are  represented  to 
exist,  one  at  the  prominent  summit  of  the  Ohio  and  Grave  Creekliills, 
and  another  on  the  promontory  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  OJ/io,  in 
Belmont  county,  Ohio. 

It  is  known  to  all  acquainted  with  the  warlike  habits  of  our  tidians, 
that  they  never  have  evinced  the  foresight  to  post  a  regular  sen/ry,  and 
these  rude  towers  may  be  regarded  as  of  cotemporaneous  age  Vith  the 
interment  of  the  inscription. 

Several  polished  tubes  of  stone  have  been  found,  in  one  of  /he  lesser 
mounds,  the  use  of  which  is  not  very  apparent.  One  of  thess,  now  on 
my  table,  is  12  inches  long,  1^  wide  at  one  end,  and  1-J  at  the/other.  It 
is  made  of  a  fine,  compact,  lead  blue  steatite,  mottled,  aix^  has  been 
constructed  by  boring,  in  the  manner  of  a  gun  barrel.  This  baring  is  con 
tinued  to  within  about  three-eighths  of  an  inch  of  the  larger  pd,  through 
which  but  a  small  aperture  is  left.  If  this  small  apertur/  be  looked 
through,  objects  at  a  distance  are  more  clearly  seen.  Whether  it  had 
this  telescopic  use,  or  others,  the  degree  of  art  evinced  iry  its  construc 
tion  is  far  from  rude.  By  inserting  a  wooden  rod  and  vilve,  this  tube 
would  be  converted  into  a  powerful  syphon,  or  syringe.  \ 

I  have  not  space  to  notice  one  or  two  additional  traits,/which  serve  to 
awaken  new  interest  at  this  ancient  point  of  aboriginal  and  apparently 
mixed  settlement,  and  must  omit  them  till  my  next. 


OF    THE    WESTERN    COUNTRY.  313 


III. 

GRAVE  CREEK  FLATS,  August  24,  1843. 

THE  great  mound  at  these  flats  was  opened  as  a  place  of  public  resort 
about  four  years  ago.  For  this  purpose  a  horizontal  gallery  to  its  centre 
was  dug  and  bricked  up,  and  provided  with  a  door.  The  centre  was 
walled  round  as  a  rotunda,  of  about  twenty-five  feet  diameter,  and  a 
shaft  sunk  from  the  top  to  intersect  it ;  it  was  in  these  two  excavations 
that  the  skeletons  and  accompanying  relics  and  ornaments  were  found. 
All  these  articles  are  arranged  for  exhibition  in  this  rotunda,  which  is 
lighted  lip  with  candles.  The  lowermost  skeleton  is  almost  entire,  and 
in  a  good  state  of  preservation,  and  is  put  up  by  means  of  wires,  on  the 
walls.  It  has  been  overstretched  in  the  process  so  as  to  measure  six 
feet ;  it  should  be  about  five  feet  eight  inches.  It  exhibits  a  noble  frame 
of  the  human  species,  bearing  a  skull  with  craniological  developments 
of  a  highly  favorable  charcter.  The  face  bones  are  elongated,  with  a 
long  chin  and  symmetrical  jaw,  in  which  a  full  and  fine  set  of  teeth, 
above  and  below,  are  present.  The  skeletons  in  the  upper  vault,  where 
the  inscription  stone  was  found,  are  nearly  all  destroyed. 

It  is  a  damp  and  gloomy  repository,  and  exhibits  in  the  roof  and  walls 
of  the  rotunda  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  sepulchral  displays  which 
the  world  affords.  On  casting  the  eye  up  to  the  ceiling,  and  the  heads 
of  the  pillars  supporting  it,  it  is  found  to  be  encrusted,  or  rather  fes 
tooned,  with  a  white,  soft,  flaky  mass  of  matter,  which  had  exuded  from 
the  mound  above.  This  apparently  animal  exudation  is  as  white  as 
snow.  It  hangs  in  pendent  masses  and  globular  drops  ;  the  surface  is 
covered  with  large  globules  of  clear  water,  which  in  the  reflected  light 
have  all  the  brilliancy  of  diamonds.  These  drops  of  water  trickle  to  the 
floor,  and  occasionally  the  exuded  while  matter  falls.  The  wooden 
pillars  are  furnished  with  the  appearance  of  capitals,  by  this  substance, 
That  it  is  the  result  of  a  soil  highly  charged  with  particles  of  matter, 
arising  from  the  decay  or  incineration  of  human  bodies,  is  the  only 
theory  by  which  we  may  account  for  the  phenomenon.  Curious  and 
unique  it  certainly  is,  and  with  the  faint  light  of  a  few  candles  it  would 
not  require  much  imagination  to  invest  the  entire  rotunda  with  sylph- 
like  forms  of  the  sheeted  dead. 

An  old  Cherokee  chief,  who  visited  this  scene,  recently,  with  his 
companions,  on  his  way  to  the  West,  was  so  excited  and  indignant  at 
the  desecration  of  the  tumulus,  by  this  display  of  bones  and  relics  to  the 
gaze  of  the  white  race,  that  he  became  furious  and  unmanageable  ;  his 
friends  and  interpreters  had  to  force  him  out,  to  prevent  his  assassinating 
the  guide  ;  and  soon  after  he  drowned  his  senses  in  alcohol. 

That  this  spot  was  a  very  ancient  point  of  settlement  by  the  hunter 


314  LETTERS    ON    THE    ANTIQUITIES 

race  in  the  Ohio  valley,  and  that  it  was  inhabited  by  the  present  red 
race  of  North  American  Indians,  on  the  arrival  of  whites  west  of  the 
Alleghanies,  are  both  admitted  facts  ;  nor  would  the  historian  and  anti 
quary  ever  have  busied  themselves  farther  in  the  matter  had  not  the 
inscribed  stone  come  to  light,  in  the  year  1839.  I  was  informed,  yes 
terday,  that  another  inscription  stone  had  been  found  in  one  of  the 
smaller  mounds  on  these  flats,  about  five  years  ago,  and  have  obtained 
data  sufficient  as  to  its  present  location  to  put  the  Ethnological  Society 
on  its  trace.  If,  indeed,  these  inscriptions  shall  lead  us  to  admit  that 
the  continent  was  visited  by  Europeans  prior  to  the  era  of  Columbus,  it 
is  a  question  of  very  high  antiquarian  interest  to  determine  who  the 
visitors  were,  and  what  they  have  actually  left  on  record  in  these  antique 
tablets. 

I  have  only  time  to  add  a  single  additional  fact.  Among  the  articles 
found  in  this  cluster  of  mounds,  the  greater  part  are  commonplace,  in 
our  western  mounds  and  town  ruins.  I  have  noticed  but  one  which 
bears  the  character  of  that  unique  type  of  architecture  found  by  Mr. 
Stephens  and  Mr.  Catherwood  in  Central  America  and  Yucatan.  With 
the  valuable  monumental  standards  of  comparison  furnished  by  these 
gentlemen  before  me,  it  is  impossible  not  to  recognize,  in  an  ornamental 
stone,  found  in  one  of  the  lesser  mounds  here,  a  specimen  of  similar 
workmanship.  It  is  in  the  style  of  the  heavy  feather-sculptured  orna 
ments  of  Yucatan — the  material  being  a  wax  yellow  sand-stone,  dark 
ened  by  time.  I  have  taken  such  notes  and  drawings  of  the  objects 
above  referred  to,  as  will  enable  me,  I  trust,  in  due  time,  to  give  a  con 
nected  account  of  them  to  our  incipient  society. 


IV. 

MASSILLON,  Ohio,  August  27th,  1843. 

SINCE  my  last  letter  I  have  traversed  the  State  of  Ohio,  by  stage,  to 
this  place.  In  coming  up  the  Virginia  banks  of  the  Ohio  from  Mounds- 
ville,  I  passed  a  monument,  of  simple  construction,  erected  to  the 
memory  of  a  Captain  Furman  and  twenty-one  men,  who  were  killed  by 
the  Indians,  in  1777,  at  that  spot.  They  had  been  out,  from  the  fort  at 
Wheeling,  on  a  scouting  party,  and  were  waylaid  at  a  pass  called  the 
narrows.  The  Indians  had  dropped  a  pipe  and  some  trinkets  in  the 
path,  knowing  that  the  white  men  would  pick  them  up,  and  look  at 
them,  and  while  the  latter  were  grouped  together  in  this  act,  they  fired 
and  killed  every  man.  The  Indians  certainly  fought  hard  for  the  pos 
session  of  this  valley,  aiming,  at  all  times,  to  make  up  by  stratagem  what 
they  lacked  in  numbers.  I  doubt  whether  there  is  in  the  history  of  the 


OF  THE  WESTERN  COUNTRY.  315 

spread  of  civilisation  over  the  world  a  theatre  so  rife  with  partisan 
adventure,  massacre  and  murder,  as  the  valley  of  the  Ohio  and  the 
country  west  of  the  Alleghany  generally  presented  between  the  break 
ing  out  of  the  American  revolution,  in  '76,  and  the  close  of  the  Black 
Hawk  war  in  1832.  The  true  era,  in  fact,  begins  with  the  French  war, 
in  1744,  and  terminates  with  the  Florida  war,  the  present  year.  A 
work  on  this  subject,  drawn  from  authentic  sources,  and  written  with 
spirit  and  talent,  would  be  read  with  avidity  and  possess  a  permanent 
interest. 

The  face  of  the  country,  from  the  Ohio  opposite  Wheeling  to  the 
waters  of  the  Tuscarawas,  the  north  fork  of  the  Muskingum,  is  a  series 
of  high  rolling  ridges  and  knolls,  up  and  down  which  the  stage  travels 
slowly.  Yet  this  section  is  fertile  and  well  cultivated  in  wheat  and 
corn,  particularly  the  latter,  which  looks  well.  This  land  cannot  be 
purchased  under  forty  or  fifty  dollars  an  acre.  Much  of  it  was  originally 
bought  for  seventy-five  cents  per  acre.  It  was  over  this  high,  wavy  land, 
that  the  old  Moravian  missionary  road  to  Gnadenhutten  ran,  and  I  pur 
sued  it  to  within  six  miles  of  the  latter  place.  You  will  recollect  this 
locality  as  the  scene  of  the  infamous  murder,  by  Williamson  and  his 
party,  of  the  non-resisting  Christian  Delawares  under  the  ministry  of 
Heckewelder  and  Ziesberger. 

On  the  Still  water,  a  branch  of  the  Tuscarawas,  we  first  come  to  level 
lands.  This  stream  was  noted,  in  early  days,  for  its  beaver  and  other 
furs.  The  last  beaver  seen  here  was  shot  on  its  banks  twelve  years 
ago.  It  had  three  legs,  one  having  probably  been  caught  in  a  trap  or 
been  bitten  off.  It  is  known  that  not  only  the  beaver,  but  the  otter, 
wolf  and  fox,  will  bite  off  a  foot,  to  escape  the  iron  jaws  of  a  trap.  It 
has  been  said,  but  I  know  not  on  what  good  authority,  that  the  hare 
will  do  the  same. 

We  first  struck  the  Ohio  canal  at  Dover.  It  is  in  every  respect  a 
well  constructed  work,  with  substantial  locks,  culverts  and  viaducts.  It 
is  fifty  feet  wide  at  the  top,  and  is  more  than  adequate  for  all  present 
purposes.  It  pursues  the  valley  of  the  Tuscarawas  up  to  the  summit, 
by  which  it  is  connected  with  the  Cuyahuga,  whose  outlet  is  at  Cleve 
land.  Towns  and  villages  have  sprung  up  along  its  banks,  where  before 
there  was  a  wilderness.  Nothing  among  them  impressed  me  more  than 
the  town  of  Zoar,  which  is  exclusively  settled  by  Germans.  There 
seems  something  of  the  principles  of  association — one  of  the  fallacies  of 
the  age — in  its  large  and  single  town  store,  hotel,  &c.,  but  I  do  not 
know  how  far  they  may  extend.  Individual  property  is  held.  The 
evidences  of  thrift  and  skill,  in  cultivation  and  mechanical  and  mill  work, 
are  most  striking.  Every  dwelling  here  is  surrounded  with  fruit  and 
fruit  trees.  The  botanical  garden  and  hot-house  are  on  a  large  scale, 
and  exhibit  a  favorable  specimen  of  the  present  state  of  horticulture. 


316  LETTERS    UN     T-HE    ANTIQUITIES 

One  of  the  assistants  very  kindly  plucked  for  me  some  fine  fruit,  and 
voluntarily  offered  it.  Zoar  is  quite  a  place  of  resort  as  a  ride  for  the 
neighboring  towns.  I  may  remark,  en  passant,  that  there  is  a  large 
proportion  of  German  population  throughout  Ohio.  They  are  orderly^ 
thrifty  and  industrious,  and  fall  readily  into  our  political  system  and 
habits.  Numbers  o/  them  are  well  educated  in  the  German.  They 
embrace  Lutherans  as  well  as  Roman  Catholics,  the  latter  predomi 
nating. 

Among  the  towns  which  have  recently  sprung  up  on  the  line  of  the 
canal,  not  the  least  is  the  one  from  which  I  date  this  letter.  The  name 
of  the  noted  French  divine  (Massillon)  was  affixed  to  an  uncultivated 
spot,  by  some  Boston  gentlemen,  some  twelve  or  fourteen  years  ago. 
It  is  now  one  of  the  most  thriving,  city-looking,  business  places  in  the 
interior  of  Ohio.  In  the  style  of  its  stores,  mills  and  architecture,  it 
reminds  the  visitor  of  that  extraordinary  growth  and  spirit  which  marked 
the  early  years  of  the  building  of  Rochester.  It  numbers  churches  for 
Episcopalians,  Baptists,  Methodists  and  Presbyterians,  and  also  Lu 
therans  and  Romanists.  About  three  hundred  barrels  of  flour  can  be 
turned  out  per  diem,  by  its  mills.  It  is  in  the  greatest  wheat-growing 
county  in  Ohio  (Stark),  but  is  not  the  county-seat,  which  is  at  Canton 


V. 

DETROIT,  Sept.  15th,  1843. 

IN  passing  from  the  interior  of  Ohio  toward  Lake  Erie,  the  face  of  the 
country  exhibits,  in  the  increased  size  and  number  of  its  boulder  stones, 
evidences  of  the  approach  of  the  traveller  toward  those  localities  of 
sienites  and  other  crystalline  rocks,  from  which  these  erratic  blocks  and 
water-worn  masses  appear  to  have  been,  in  a  remote  age  of  our  planet, 
removed.  The  soil  in  this  section  has  a  freer  mixture  of  the  broken 
down  slates,  of  which  portions  are  still  in  place  on  the  shores  of  Lake 
Erie.  The  result  is  a  clayey  soil,  less  favorable  to  wheat  and  Indian 
corn.  We  came  down  the  cultivated  valley  of  the  Cuyahoga,  and 
reached  the  banks  of  the  lake  at  the  fine  town  of  Cleveland,  which  is 
elevated  a  hundred  feet,  or  more,  above  it,  and  commands  a  very  ex 
tensive  view  of  the  lake,  the  harbor  and  its  ever-busy  shipping.  A  day 
was  employed,  by  stage,  in  this  section  of  my  tour,  and  the  next  carried 
me,  by  steamboat,  to  this  ancient  French  capital.  Detroit  has  many 
interesting  historical  associations,  and  appears  destined,  when  its  railroad 
is  finished,  to  be  the  chief  thoroughfare  for  travellers  to  Chicago  and  the 
Mississippi  valley.  As  my  attention  has,  however,  been  more  taken 


OF    THE    WESTERN    COUNTRY.  317 

up,  on  my  way,  with  the  past  than  the  present  and  future  condition  of 
the  West,  the  chief  interest  which  the  route  has  excited  must  necessarily 
arise  from  the  same  source. 

Michigan  connects  itself  in  its  antiquarian  features  with  that  charac 
ter  of  pseudo-civilisation,  or  modified  barbarianism,  of  which  the  wrorks 
and  mounds  and  circumvallations  at  Grave  Creek  Flats,  at  Marietta,  at 
Circleville  and  other  well  known  points,  are  evidences.  That  this 
improved  condition  of  the  hunter  state  had  an  ancient  but  partial  con 
nection  with  the  early  civilisation  of  Europe,  appears  now  to  be  a  fair 
inference,  from  the  inscribed  stone  of  Grave  Creek,  and  other  traces  of 
European  arts,  discovered  of  late.  It  is  also  evident  that  the  central 
American  type  of  the  civilisation,  or  rather  advance  to  civilisation,  of  the 
red  race,  reached  this  length,  and  finally  went  down,  with  its  gross  idol 
atry  and  horrid  rites,  and  was  merged  in  the  better  known  and  still  ex 
isting  form  of  the  hunter  state  which  was  found,  respectively,  by  Cabot, 
Cartier,  Verrezani,  Hudson,  and  others,  who  first  dropped  anchor  on  our 
coasts. 

There  is  strong  evidence  furnisjaed  by  a  survey  of  the  western  coun 
try  that  the  teocalli  type  of  the  Indian  civilisation,  so  to  call  it,  devel 
oped  itself  from  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  in  Tennessee  and  Virginia,  west 
and  north-westwardly  across  the  sources  of  the  Wabash,  the  Musking* 
um  and  other  streams,  toward  Lake  Michigan  and  the  borders  of  Wis- 
ionsin  territory.  The  chief  evidences  of  it,  in  Michigan  and  Indiana, 
consist  of  a  remarkable  series  of  curious  garden  beds,  or  accurately  fur 
rowed  fields,  the  perfect  outlines  of  which  have  been  preserved  by  the 
grass  of  the  oak  openings  and  prairies,  and  even  among  the  heaviest  for 
ests.  These  remains  of  an  ancient  cultivation  have  attracted  much  atten 
tion  frorr  observing  settlers  on  the  Elkhart,  the  St.  Joseph's,  the  Kala- 
mazoo  and  Grand  river  of  Michigan  I  possess  some  drawings  of  these 
anomalous  remains  of  by-gone  industry  in  the  hunter  race,  taken  in  for 
mer  years,  which  are  quite  remarkable.  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  too, 
that  no  large  tumuli,  or  teocalli,  exist  in  this  particular  portion  of  the 
West,  the  ancient  population  of  which  may  therefore  be  supposed  to 
have  been  borderers,  or  frontier  bands,  who  resorted  to  the  Ohio  valley 
as  their  capital,  or  place  of  annual  visitation.  All  the  mounds  scattered 
through  Northern  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Michigan,  are  mere  barrows,  or  re 
positories  of  the  dead,  and  would  seem  to  have  been  erected  posterior  to 
the  fall  or  decay  of  the  gross  idol  worship  and  the  offer  of  human  sacri 
fice.  I  have,  within  a  day  or  two,  received  a  singular  implement  or  or 
nament  of  stone,  of  a  crescent  shape,  from  Oakland,  in  this  State,  which 
connects  the  scattered  and  out-lying  remains  of  the  smaller  mounds, 
and  traces  of  ancient  agricultural  labor,  with  the  antiquities  of 
Creek  Flats 


318  LETTERS     ON    THE     ANTIQUITIES 

VI. 

DETROIT,  Sept.  16th,  1843. 

THE  antiquities  of  Western  America  are  to  be  judged  of  by  isolat 
ed  and  disjointed  discoveries,  which  are  often  made  at  widely  distant 
points  and  spread  over  a  very  extensive  area.  The  labor  of  comparison 
and  discrimination  of  the  several  eras  which  the  objects  of  these  discov 
eries  establish,  is  increased  by  this  diffusion  and  disconnection  of  the 
times  and  places  of  their  occurrence,  and  is,  more  than  all,  perhaps,  hin 
dered  and  put  back  by  the  eventual  carelessness  of  the  discoverers,  and 
the  final  loss  or  mutilation  of  the  articles  disclosed.  To  remedy  this  evil, 
every  discovery  made,  however  apparently  unimportant,  should  in  this 
era  of  the  diurnal  and  periodical  press  be  put  on  record,  and  the  objects 
themselves  be  either  carefully  kept,  or  given  to  some  public  scientific  in 
stitution. 

An  Indian  chief  called  the  Black  Eagle,  of  river  Au  Sables  (Michigan), 
discovered  a  curious  antique  pipe  of  Etruscan  ware,  a  few  years  ago,  at 
Thunder  Bay.  This  pipe,  which  is  now  in  my  possession,  is  as  remark 
able  for  its  form  as  for  the  character  of  the  earthenware  from  which  it 
is  made,  differing  as  it  does  so  entirely  from  the  coarse  earthen  pots  and 
vessels,  the  remains  of  which  are  scattered  so  generally  throughout 
North  America.  The  form  is  semi-circular  or  horn-shaped,  with  a  qua 
drangular  bowl,  and  having  impressed  in  the  ware  ornaments  at  each  angle. 
I  have  never  before,  indeed,  seen  any  pipes  of  Indian  manufacture  of 
baked  clay,  or  earthenware,  such  articles  being  generally  carved  out  of 
steatite,  indurated  clays,  or  other  soft  mineral  substances.  It  is  a  pecu 
liarity  of  this  pipe  that  it  was  smoked  from  the  small  end,  which  is  rounded 
for  the  purpose  of  putting  it  between  the  lips,  without  the  intervention 
of  a  stem. 

The  discoverer  told  me  that  he  had  taken  it  from  a  very  antique  grave. 
A  large  hemlock  tree,  he  said,  had  been  blown  down  on  the  banks  of  the 
river,  tearing  up,  by  its  roots,  a  large  mass  of  earth.  At  the  bottom  of  the 
excavation  thus  made  he  discovered  a  grave,  which  contained  a  vase, 
out  of  which  he  took  the  pipe  with  some  other  articles.  The  vase,  he 
said,  was  broken,  so  that  he  did  not  deem  it  worth  bringing  away.  The 
other  articles  he  described  as  bones. 

Some  time  since  I  accompanied  the  chief  Kewakonce,  to  get  an  an 
cient  clay  pot,  such  as  the  Indians  used  when  the  Europeans  arrived  on 
the  continent.  He  said  that  he  had  discovered  two  such  pots,  in  an  en 
tire  state,  in  a  cave,  or  crevice,  on  one  of  the  rocky  islets  extending 
north  of  Point  Tessalon,  which  is  the  northern  cape  of  the  entrance  of 
the  Straits  of  St.  Mary's  into  Lake  Huron.  From  this  locality  he  had 
removed  one  of  them,  and  concealed  it  at  a  distant  point.  We  travelled 


OF    THE    WESTERN    COUNTRY.  319 

in  canoes.  We  landed  on  the  northern  shore  of  the  large  island  of  St. 
Joseph,  which  occupies  the  jaws  of  those  expanded  straits.  He  led  me 
up  an  elevated  ridge,  covered  with  forest,  and  along  a  winding  narrow 
path,  conducting  to  some  old  Indian  cornfields.  All  at  once  he  stopped 
in  this  path.  "  We  are  now  very  near  it,"  he  said,  and  stood  still,  look 
ing  toward  the  spot  where  he  had  concealed  it,  beneath  a  decayed  trunk. 
He  did  not,  at  last,  appear  to  he  willing  to  risk  his  luck  in  life — such  is 
Indian  superstition — by  being  the  actual  discoverer  of  this  object  of  vene 
ration  to  a  white  man,  but  allowed  me  to  make,  or  rather  complete,  the 
re-discovery. 

With  the  exception  of  being  cracked,  this  vessel  is  entire.  It  corres 
ponds,  in  material  and  character,  with  the  fragments  of  pottery  usually 
found.  It  is  a  coarse  ware,  tempered  with  quartz  or  feld^»M^and  such 
as  would  admit  a  sudden  fire  to  be  built  around  it.  It  is^l^Men  inches 
in  diameter,  tulip-shaped,  with  a  bending  lip,  and  withBl  ^Bports  be 
neath.  It  was  evidently  used  as  retorts  in  a  sand  bath,  rHre  being  no 
contrivance  for  suspending  it.  I  have  forwarded  this  curious  relic  entire 
to  the  city  for  examination.  I  asked  the  chief  who  presented  it  to  me, 
and  who  is  a  man  of  good  sense,  well  acquainted  with  Indian  traditions, 
how  long  it  was  since  such  vessels  had  been  used  by  his  ancestors.  He 
replied,  that  he  was  the  seventh  generation,  in  a  direct  line,  since  the 
French  had  first  arrrived  in  the  lakes. 


VII 

DETROIT,  Sept.  16th,  1843. 

THERE  was  found,  in  an  island  at  the  west  extremity  of  Lake  Huron, 
an  ancient  repository  of  human  bones,  which  appeared  to  have  been  gath 
ered  from  their  first  or  ordinary  place  of  sepulture,  and  placed  in  this 
rude  mausoleum.  The  island  is  called  Isle  Ronde  by  the  French,  and  is 
of  small  dimensions,  although  it  has  a  rocky  basis  and  affords  sugar  ma 
ple  and  other  trees  of  the  hard  wood  species.  This  repository  was  first 
disclosed  by  the  action  of  the  lake  against  a  diluvial  shore,  in  which  the 
bones  were  buried.  At  the  time  of  my  visit,  vertebra,  tibiaB,  portions  of 
crania  and  other  bones  were  scattered  down  the  fallen  bank,  and  served 
to  denote  the  place  of  their  interment,  which  was  on  the  margin  of  the 
plain.  Some  persons  supposed  that  the  leg  and  thigh  bones  denoted  an 
unusual  length  ;  but  by  placing  them  hip  by  hip  with  the  living  speci 
men,  this  opinion  was  not  sustained. 

All  these  bones  had  been  placed  longitudinally.  They  were  arranged  in 
order,  in  a  wide  grave,  or  trench.  Contrary  to  the  usual  practice  of  the  pre 
sent  tribes  of  red  men,  the  skeletons  were  laid  north  and  south.  I  asked 


320  LETTERS    ON    THE    ANTIQUITIES 

several  of  the  most  aged  Indian  chiefs  in  that  vicinity  for  information  re 
specting  these  bones — by  what  tribe  they  had  been  deposited,  and  why 
they  had  been  laid  north  and  south,  and  not  east  and  west,  as  they  uni 
formly  bury.  But,  with  the  usual  result  as  to  early  Indian  traditions, 
they  had  no  information  to  offer.  Chusco,  an  old  Ottawa  prophet,  since 
dead,  remarked  that  they  were  probably  of  the  time  of  the  Indian  bones 
found  in  the  caves  on  the  island  of  Michilimackinac. 

In  a  small  plain  on  the  same  island,  near  the  above  repository,  is  a  long 
abandoned  Indian  burial-ground,  in  which  .the  interments  are  made  in  the 
ordinary  way.  This,  I  understood  from  the  Indians,  is  of  the  era  of  the 
occupation  of  Old  Mackinac,  or  Peekwutinong,  as  they  continue  to  call 
it — a  place  which  has  been  abandoned  by  both  whites  and  Indians,  sol 
diers  andj^fckmaries,  about  seventy  years.  I  caused  excavations  to  be 
made  in  fl  ^^Laves,  and  found  their  statements  to  be  generally  verified 
by  the  CHBB^  °f  the  articles  deposited  with  the  skeletons;  at  least 
they  were  alM>f  a  date  posterior  to  the  discovery  of  this  part  of  the  coun 
try  by  the  French.  There  were  found  the  oxydated  remains  of  the  brass 
mountings  of  a  chiefs  fusil,  corroded  fire  steels  and  other  steel  imple 
ments,  vermillion,  wampum,  and  o.ther  cherished  or  valued  articles.  I 
sent  a  perfect  skull,  taken  from  one  of  these  graves,  to  Dr.  Morton,  the 
author  of  "  Crania,"  while  he  was  preparing  that  work.  No  Indians 
have  resided  on  this  island  within  the  memory  of  any  white  man  or  In 
dian  with  whom  I  have  conversed.  An  aged  chief  whom  I  interrogated, 
called  Saganosh,  who  has  now  been  dead  some  five  or  six  years,  told  me 
that  he  was  a  small  boy  when  the  present  settlement  on  the  island  of 
Michilimackinac  was  commenced,  and  the  English  first  took  post  there, 
and  began  to  remove  their  cattle,  &c.,  from  the  old  fort  on  the  peninsula, 
and  it  was  about  that  time  that  the  Indian  village  of  Minnisains,  or  Isle 
Ronde,  was  abandoned.  It  had  before  formed  a  link,  as  it  were,  in  the 
traverse  of  this  part  of  the  lake  (Huron)  in  canoes  to  old  Mackinac. 

The  Indians  opposed  the  transfer  of  the  post  to  the  island  of  Michili 
mackinac,  and  threatened  the  troops  who  were  yet  in  the  field.  They 
had  no  cannon,  but  the  commanding  officer  sent  a  vessel  to  Detroit  for 
one.  This  vessel  had  a  quick  trip,  down  and  up,  and  brought  up  a 
gun,  which  was  fired  the  evening  she  came  into  the  harbor.  This  pro 
duced  an  impression.  I  have  made  some  inquiries  to  fix  the  date  of  this 
transfer  of  posts,  and  think  it  was  at  or  about  the  opening  of  the  era  of  the 
American  revolution,  at  which  period  the  British  garrison  did  not  feel 
itself  safe  in  a  mere  stockade  of  timber  on  the  main  shore.  This  stock 
ade,  dignified  with  the  name  of  a  fort,  had  not  been  burned  on  the  taking 
of  it,  by  surprise,  and  the  massacre  of  the  English  troops  by  the  Indians, 
during  Pontiac's  war.  This  massacre,  it  will  be  recollected,  was  in  1763 
—twelve  years  before  the  opening  of  the  American  war. 


OF    THE    WESTERN    COUNTRY.  32] 

VIII. 

DETROIT,  Oct.  13th,  1843. 

THE  so-called  copper  rock  of  Lake  Superior  was  brought  to  this  place, 
a  day  or  two  since,  in  a  vessel  from  Sault  Ste-Marie,  having  been  trans 
ported  from  its  original  locality,  on  the  Ontonagon  river,  at  no  small  labor 
and  expense.  It  is  upwards  of  twenty-three  years  since  I  first  visited 
this  remarkable  specimen  of  native  copper,  in  the  forests  of  Lake  Supe 
rior.  It  has  been  somewhat  diminished  in  size  and  weight,  in  the  mean 
time,  by  visitors  and  travellers  in  that  remote  quarter  ;  but  retains,  very 
well,  its  original  character  and  general  features. 

I  have  just  returned  from  a  re-examination  of  it  in  a  store^Jn  one  of 
the  main  streets  of  this  city,  where  it  has  been  deposited^!  Me  present 
proprietor,  who  designs  to  exhibit  it  to  the  curious.  Its  greatest  length 
is  four  feet  six  inches  ;  its  greatest  width  about  four  feet ;  its  maximum 
thickness  eighteen  inches.  These  are  rough  measurements  with  the  rule. 
It  is  almost  entirely  composed  of  malleable  copper,  and  bears  striking 
marks  of  the  visits  formerly  paid  to  it,  in  the  evidences  of  portions  which 
have  from  time  to  time  been  cut  off.  There  are  no  scales  in  the  city 
large  enough,  or  other  means  of  ascertaining  its  precise  weight,  and  of 
thus  terminating  the  uncertainty  arising  from  the  several  estimates  here 
tofore  made.  It  has  been  generally  estimated  here,  since  its  arrival,  to 
weigh  between  six  and  seven  thousand  pounds,  or  about  three  and  a  half 
tons,  and  is  by  far  the  largest  known  and  described  specimen  of  native 
copper  on  the  globe.  Rumors  of  a  larger  piece  in  South  America  are 
apocryphal. 

The  acquisition,  to  the  curious  and  scientific  world,  of  this  extraordi 
nary  mass  of  native  metal  is  at  least  one  of  the  practical  results  of  the 
copper-mining  mania  which  carried  so  many  adventurers  northward,  into 
the  region  of  Lake  Superior,  the  past  summer  (1843).  The  person  who 
has  secured  this  treasure  (Mr.  J.  Eldred)  has  been  absent,  on  the  busi 
ness,  since  early  in  June.  He  succeeded  in  removing  it  from  its  diluvial 
bed  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  by  a  car  and  sectional  railroad  of  two  links, 
formed  of  timber.  The  motive  power  was  a  tackle  attached  to  trees, 
which  was  worked  by  men,  from  fourteen  to  twenty  of  whom  were 
employed  upon  it.  These  rails  were  alternately  moved  forward,  as  the 
car  passed  from  the  hindmost. 

In  this  manner  the  rock  was  dragged  four  miles  and  a  half,  across  a 
rough  country,  to  a  curve  of  the  river  below  its  falls,  and  below  the 
junction  of  its  forks,  where  it  was  received  by  a  boat,  and  conveyed  to 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  on  the  lake  shore.  At  this  point  it  was  put  on 
board  a  schooner,  and  taken  to  the  falls,  or  Sault  Ste-Marie,  and  thence, 
having  been  transported  across  the  portage,  embarked  for  Detroit.  The 

21 


322  LETTERS    ON    THE     ANTIQUITIES 

entire  distance  to  this  place  is  a  little  within  one  thousand  miles  ;  three 
hundred  and  twenty  of  which  lie  beyond  St.  Mary's. 

What  is  to  be  its  future  history  and  disposition  remains  to  be  seen.  It 
will  probably  find  its  way  to  the  museum  of  the  National  Institute  in  the 
new  patent  office  at  Washington.  This  would  be  appropriate,  and  it  is 
stated  that  the  authorities  have  asserted  their  ultimate  claim  to  it,  probably 
under  the  3d  article  of  the  treaty  of  Fond  du  Lac,  of  the  5th  of  August, 
1826. 

I  have  no  books  at  hand  to  refer  to  the  precise  time,  so  far  as  known, 
when  this  noted  mass  of  copper  first  became  known  to  Europeans. 
Probably  a  hundred  and  eighty  years  have  elapsed,  Marquette,  and  his 
devoted  companion,  passed  up  the  shores  of  Lake  Superior  about  1668, 
which  was  several  years  before  the  discovery  of  the  Mississippi,  by  that 
eminent  missionary,  by  the  way  of  the  Wisconsin.  From  the  letters  of 
D'Ablon  af  Sault  Ste-Marie,  it  appears  to  have  been  known  prior  to  the 
arrival  of  La  Salle.  These  allusions  will  be  sufficient  to  show  that  the 
rock  has  a  historical  notoriety.  Apart  from  this,  it  is  a  specimen  which 
is,  both  mineralogically  and  geologically,  well  worthy  of  national  pre 
servation. 

It  is  clearly  a  boulder,  and  bears  marks  of  attrition  from  the  action 
of  water,  on  some  parts  of  its  rocky  surface  as  well  as  frhe  metallic 
portions.  A  minute  mineralogical  examination  and  description  of  it  are 
required.  The  adhering  rock,  of  which  there  is  less  now  than  in  1820, 
is  apparently  serpentine,  in  some  parts  steatitic,  whereas  the  copper  ores 
of  Keweena  Point  on  that  lake,  are  found  exclusively  in  the  amygdaloids 
and  greenstones  of  the  trap  formation.  A  circular  depression  of  opaque 
crystalline  quartz,  in  the  form  of  a  semi-geode,  exists  in  one  face  of  it ; 
other  parts  of  the  mass  disclose  the  same  mineral.  Probably  300  Ibs.  of 
the  metal  have  been  hacked  off,  or  detached  by  steel  chisels,  since  it  has 
been  known  to  the  whites,  most  of  this  within  late  years. 


IX. 

DETROIT,  Oct.  16th,   1843. 

IN  the  rapid  development  of  the  resources  and  wealth  of  the  West, 
there  is  no  object  connected  with  the  navigation  of  the  upper  lakes  of 
more  prospective  importance  than  the  improvement  of  the  delta,  or  flats 
of  the  St.  Glair.  It  is  here  that  the  only  practical  impediment  occurs  to 
the  passage  of  heavy  shipping,  between  Buffalo  and  Chicago.  This 
delta  is  formed  by  deposits  at  the  point  of  discharge  of  the  river  St.  Clair, 
into  Lake  St.  Clair,  and  occurs  at  the  estimated  distance  of  about  thirty- 


OF  THE  WESTERN  COUNTRY.  323 

six  miles  above  the  city.  The  flats  are  fan -shaped,  and  spread,  I  am 
inclined  to  think,  upward  of  fifteen  miles,  on  the  line  of  their  greatest 
expansion. 

There  are  three  principal  channels,  besides  sub-channels,  which  carry 
a  depth  of  from  four  to  six  fathoms  to  the  very  point  of  their  exit  into 
the  lake,  where  there  is  a  bar  in  each.  This  bar,  as  is  shown  by  the 
chart  of  a  survey  made  by  officers  Macomb  and  Warner,  of  the  topogra 
phical  engineers,  in  1842,  is  very  similar  to  the  bars  at  the  mouths  of  the 
upper  lake  rivers,  and  appears  to  be  susceptible  of  removal,  or  improve 
ment,  by  similar  means.  The  north  channel  carries  nine  feet  of  water 
over  this  bar,  the  present  season,  and  did  the  same  in  1842,  and  is  the 
one  exclusively  used  by  vessels  and  steamboats.  To  the  latter  this  tor 
tuous  channel,  which  is  above  ten  miles  farther  round  than  the  middle 
channel,  presents  no  impediment,  besides  the  intricacies  of  the  bar,  but 
increased  distance. 

It  is  otherwise,  and  ever  must  remain  so,  to  vessels  propelled  by  sails, 
Such  vessels,  coming  up  with  a  fair  wind,  find  the  bend  so  acute  and 
involved  at  Point  aux  Chcnes,  at  the  head  of  this  channel,  as  to  bring  the 
wind  directly  ahead.  They  are,  consequently,  compelled  to  cast  anchor, 
and  await  a  change  of  wind  to  turn  this  point.  A  delay  of  eight  or  ten 
days  in  the  upward  passage,  is  not  uncommon  at  this  place.  Could  the 
bar  of  the  middle  channel,  which  is  direct,  be  improved,  the  saving  in 
both  time  and  distance  above  indicated  would  be  made.  This  is  an 
object  of  public  importance,  interesting  to  all  the  lake  States  and  Territo 
ries,  and  would  constitute  a  subject  of  useful  consideration  for  Con 
gress.  Every  year  is  adding  to  the  number  and  size  of  our  lake 
vessels.  The  rate  of  increase  which  doubles  our  population  in  a  given 
number  of  years  must  also  increase  the  lake  tonnage,  and  add  new 
motives  for  the  improvement  of  its  navigation. 

Besides  the  St.  Clair  delta,  I  know  of  no  other  impediment  in  the 
channel  itself,  throughout  the  great  line  of  straits  between  Buffalo  and 
Chicago,  which  prudence  and  good  seamanship,  and  well  found  vessels, 
may  not  ordinarily  surmount.  The  rapids  at  Black  Rock,  once  so  formi 
dable,  have  long  been  obviated  by  the  canal  dam.  The  straits  of  Detroit 
have  been  well  surveyed,  and  afford  a  deep,  navigable  channel  at  all 
times.  The  rapids  at  the  head  of  the  river  St.  Clair,  at  Port  Huron, 
have  a  sufficiency  of  water  for  vessels  of  the  largest  class,  and  only 
require  a  fair  wind  for  their  ascent. 

The  straits  of  Michilimackinac  'are  believed  to  be  on  the  same  water 
level  as  Lakes  Huron  and  Michigan,  and  only  present  the  phenomenon 
of  a  current  setting  east  or  west,  in  compliance  with  certain  laws  of  the 
reaction  of  water  driven  by  winds.  Such  are  the  slight  impediments  on 
this  extraordinary  line  of  inland  lake  navigation,  which  is  carried  on  at 
an  average  altitude  of  something  less  than  600  feet  above  the  tide  level 


324  LETTERS    ON    THE    ANTIQUITIES 

of  the  Atlantic.  When  this  line  of  commerce  requires  to  be  diverted 
north,  through  the  straits  of  St.  Mary's  into  Lake  Superior,  a  period  rap 
idly  approaching,  a  short  canal  of  three-fourths  of  a  mile  will  be  required 
at  the  Sault  Ste-Marie,  and  some  excavation  made,  so  as  to  permit  ves 
sels  of  heavy  tonnage  to  cross  the  bar  in  Lake  George  of  those  straits. 


X. 

DUNDAS,  Canada  West,  Oct.  26th,  1843. 

FORTUNATELY  for  the  study  of  American  antiquities  the  aborigines 
have,  from  the  earliest  period,  practised  the  interment  of  their  arms, 
utensils  and  ornaments,  with  the  dead,  thus  furnishing  evidence  of  the  par 
ticular  state  of  their  skill  in  the  arts,  at  the  respective  eras  of  their  history. 
To  a  people  without  letters  there  could  scarcely  have  been  a  better  in 
dex  than  such  domestic  monuments  furnish,  to  determine  these  eras  ;  and 
it  is  hence  that  the  examination  of  their  mounds  and  burial-places 
assumes  so  important  a  character  in  the  investigation  of  history.  Here 
tofore  these  inquiries  have  been  confined  to  portions  of  the  continent 
south  and  west  of  the  great  chain  of  lakes  and  the  St.  Lawrence  ;  but 
the  advancing  settlements  in  Canada,  at  this  time,  are  beginning  to  dis 
close  objects  of  this  kind,  and  thus  enlarge  the  field  of  inquiry. 

I  had,  yesterday,  quite  an  interesting  excursion  to  one  of  these  ancient 
places  of  sepulture  north  of  the  head  of  Lake  Ontario.  The  locality  is 
in  the  township  of  Beverly,  about  twelve  miles  distant  from  Dundas. 
The  rector  of  the  parish,  the  Rev.  Mr.  McMurray,  had  kindly  made 
arrangements  for  my  visit.  We  set  out  at  a  very  early  hour,  on  horse 
back,  the  air  being  keen,  and  the  mud  and  water  in  the  road  so  com 
pletely  frozen  as  to  bear  our  horses.  We  ascended  the  mountain  and 
passed  on  to  the  table  land,  about  four  miles,  to  the  house  of  a  worthy 
parishioner  of  Mr.  McM.,  by  whom  we  were  kindly  welcomed,  and  after 
giving  us  a  warm  breakfast,  he  took  us  on,  with  a  stout  team,  about  six 
miles  on  the  Guelph  road.  Diverging  from  this,  about  two  miles  to  the 
left,  through  a  heavy  primitive  forest,  with  occasional  clearings,  we  came 
to  the  spot.  It  is  in  the  6th  concession  of  Beverly. 

We  were  now  about  seventeen  miles,  by  the  road,  from  the  extreme 
head  of  Lake  Ontario,  at  the  town  of  Hamilton,  Burlington  Bay  ;  and  on 
one  of  the  main  branches  of  the  bright  and  busy  mill-stream  of  the  valley 
of  Dundas.  As  this  part  of  the  country  is  yet  encumbered  with  dense 
and  almost  unbroken  masses  of  trees,  with  roads  unformed,  we  had  fre 
quently  to  inquire  our  way,  and  at  length  stopped  on  the  skirts  of  an 
elevated  beech  ridge,  upon  wnich  the  trees  stood  as  large  and  thickly  as 


OF    THE    WESTERN    COUNTRY.  325 

in  other  parts  of  the  forest.  There  was  nothing  at  first  sight  to  betoken 
that  the  hand  of  man  had  ever  been  exercised  there.  Yet  this  wooded 
ridge  embraced  the  locality  we  were  in  quest  of,  and  the  antiquity  of 
interments  and  accumulations  of  human  bones  on  this  height  is  to  be 
inferred,  from  their  occurrence  amidst  this  forest,  and  bentath  the  roots 
of  the  largest  trees. 

It  is  some  five  or  six  years  since  the  discovery  was  made.  It  happened 
from  the  blowing  down  of  a  large  tree,  whose  roots  laid  bare  a  quantify 
of  human  bones.  Search  was  then  made,  and  has  been  renewed  at  sub- 
sequent  times,  the  result  of  which  has  been  the  disclosure  of  human  ske 
letons  in  such  abundance  and  massive  quantities  as  to  produce  astonish 
ment.  This  is  the  characteristic  feature.  Who  the  people  were,  and 
how  such  an  accumulation  should  have  occurred,  are  questions  which 
have  been  often  asked.  And  the  interest  of  the  scene  is  by  no  means 
lessened  on  observing  that  the  greater  part  of  these  bones  are  deposited, 
not  in  isolated  and  single  graves  as  the  Indians  now  bury,  but  in  wide 
and  long  trenches  and  rude  vaults,  in  which  the  skeletons  are  piled  lon 
gitudinally  upon  each  other.  In  this  respect  they  resemble  a  single  de 
posit,  mentioned  in  a  prior  letter,  as  occurring  on  Isle  Ronde,  in  Lake 
Huron.  And  they  would  appear,  as  is  the  case  with  the  latter,  to  be 
re-interments  of  bodies,  after  the  flesh  had  decayed,  collected  from  their 
first  places  of  sepulture. 

No  one — not  the  oldest  inhabitant — remembers  the  residence  of  In 
dians  in  this  location,  nor  does  there  appear  to  be  any  tradition  on  the 
subject.  It  is  a  common  opinion  among  the  settlers  that  there  must 
have  been  a  great  battle  fought  here,  which  would  account  for  the  accu 
mulation,  but  this  idea  does  not  appear  to  be  sustained  by  an  examina 
tion  of  the  skulls,  which,  so  far  as  I  saw,  exhibit  no  marks  of  violence. 
Besides,  there  are  present  the  bones  and  crania  of  women  and  children, 
with  implements  and  articles  of  domestic  use,  such  as  are  ordinarily  depo 
sited  with  the  dead.  The  supposition  of  pestilence,  to  account  for  the 
number,  is  subject  to  less  objection ;  yet,  if  admitted,  there  is  no  imagi 
nable  state  of  Indian  population  in  this  quarter,  which  could  have  pro 
duced  such  heaps.  The  trenches,  so  far  as  examined,  extend  over  the 
entire  ridge.  One  of  the  transverse  deposits,  I  judged,  could  not  include 
less  than  fifteen  hundred  square  feet.  The  whole  of  this  had  been  once 
dug  over,  in  search  of  curiosities,  such  as  pipes,  shells,  beads,  &c.,  of 
which  a  large  number  were  found.  Among  the  evidences  of  interments 
here  since  the  discovery  of  Canada,  were  several  brass  kettles,  in  one  of 
which  were  five  infant  skulls. 

Could  we  determine  accurately  the  time  required  for  the  growth  of  a 
beech,  or  a  black  oak,  as  they  are  found  on  these  deposits,  of  sixteen, 
eighteen  and  twenty  inches  and  two  feet  in  diameter,  the  date  of  the 
abandonment  or  completion  of  the  interments  might  be  very  nearly  fixed. 


326  ANTIQUITIES    OP    THE    WESTERN    COUNTRY. 

The  time  of  the  growth  of  these  species  is,  probably,  much  less,  in  the 
'  temperate  latitudes,  and  in  fertile  soils,  than  is  commonly  supposed.  I 
am  inclined  to  think,  from  a  hasty  survey,  that  the  whole  deposit  is  the 
result  of  the  slow  accumulation  of  both  ordinary  interment,  and  the  peri 
odical  deposk  or  re-interment  of  exhumed  bones  brought  from  contigu 
ous  hunting  camps  and  villages.  To  this,  pestilence  has  probably  added. 
The  ridge  is  said  to  be  the  apex  or  highest  point  of  the  tahle  lands,  and 
would  therefore  recommend  itself,  as  a  place  of  general  interment,  to  the 
natives.  Bands,  who  rove  from  place  to  place,  and  often  capriciously 
abandon  their  hunting  villages,  are  averse  to  leaving  their  dead  in  such 
isolated  spots.  The  surrounding  country  is  one  which  must  have  afforded 
all  the  spontaneous  means  of  Indian  subsistence,  in  great  abundance. 
The  deer  and  bear,  once  very  numerous,  still  abound. 

We  passed  some  ancient  beaver  dams,  and  were  informed  that  the 
country  east  and  north  bears  similar  evidences  of  its  former  occupation  by 
the  small  furred  animals.  The  occurrence  of  the  sugar  maple  adds 
another  element  of  Indian  subsistence.  There  are  certain  enigmatical 
walls  of  earth,  in  this  vicinity,  which  extend  several  miles  across  the 
country,  following  the  leading  ridges  of  land.  Accounts  vary  in  repre 
senting  them  to  extend  from  five  to  eight  miles.  These  I  did  not  see, 
but  learn  that  they  are  about  six  feet  high,  and  present  intervals  as  if  for 
gates.  There  is  little  likelihood  that  these  walls  were  constructed  for 
purposes  of  military  defence,  remote  as  they  are  from  the  great  waters, 
and  aside  from  the  great  leading  war-paths.  It  is  far  more  probable  that 
they  were  intended  to  intercept  the  passage  of  game,  and  compel  the  deer 
to  pass  through  these  artificial  defiles,  where  the  hunters  lay  in  wait  for 
them. 

Ancient  Iroquois  tradition,  as  preserved  by  Golden,  represents  this 
section  of  Canada,  extending  quite  to  Three  Rivers,  as  occupied  by 
the  Adirondacks  ;  a  numerous,  fierce,  and  warlike  race,  who  carried  on 
a  determined  war  against  the  Iroquois.  The  same  race,  who  were 
marked  as  speaking  a  different  type  of  languages,  were,  at  an  early  day, 
called  by  the  French  by  the  general  term  of  Algonquins.  They  had 
three  chief  residences  on  the  Utawas  and  its  sources,  and  retired  north 
westwardly,  by  that  route,  on  the  increase  of  the  Iroquois  power.  Who 
ever  the  people  were  who  hunted  and  buried  their  dead  at  Beverly,  it  is 
manifest  that  they  occupied  the  district  at  and  prior  to  the  era  of  the  dis 
covery  of  Canada,  and  also  continued  to  occupy  it,  after  the  French  had 
introduced  the  fur  trade  into  the  interior.  For  we  find,  in  the  manufac 
tured  articles  buried,  the  distinctive  evidences  of  both  periods. 

The  antique  bone  beads,  of  which  we  raised  many,  in  situ,  with  crania 
and  other  bones,  from  beneath  the  roots  of  trees,  are  in  every  respect 
similar  to  those  found  in  the  Grave  Creek  mound,  which  have  been  im 
properly  called  "  Ivory."  Amulets  of  bone  and  shell,  and  pipes  of  fine 


THE    LONE    LIGHTNING.  327 

steatite  and  indurated  red  clay,  are  also  of  this  early  period,  and  are 
such  as  were  generally  made  and  used  by  the  ancient  inhabitants  prior  to 
the  introduction  of  European  wrought  wampum  or  seawan,  and  of  beads 
of  porcelain  and  glass,  and  ornamented  pipes  of  coarse  pottery.  I  also 
examined  several  large  marine  shells,  much  corroded  and  decayed,  which 
had  been  brought,  most  probably,  from  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic. 

Having  made  such  excavations  as  limited  time  and  a  single  spade  would 
permit,  we  retraced  our  way  to  Dundas,  which  we  reached  after  nightfall, 
a  little  fatigued,  but  well  rewarded  in  the  examination  of  an  object 
whioh  connects,  in  several  particulars,  the  antiquities  of  Canada  with  those 
of  the  United  States.  ; 


ERA  OF  THE  SETTLEMENT  OF  DETROIT,  AND  THE 
STRAITS  BETWEEN  LAKES  ERIE  AND  HURON. 

THE  following  papers,  relative  to  the  early  occupancy  of  these  straits, 
were  copied  from  the  originals  in  the  public  archives  in  Paris,  by  pen 
Cass,  while  he  exercised  the  functions  of  minister  at  the  court  of  France. 
The  first  relates  to  an  act  of  occupancy  made  on  the  banks  of  a  tributary 
of  the  Detroit  river,  called  St.  Deny's,  probably  the  river  Aux  Canards. 
The  second  coincides  with  the  period  usually  assigned  as  the  origin  of  the 
post  of  Detroit.  They  are  further  valuable,  for  the  notice  which  is  inci 
dentally  taken  of  the  leading  tribes,  who  were  then  found  upon  these  straits. 

It  will  be  recollected,  in^perusing  these  documents,  that  La  Salle  had 
passed  these  straits  on  his  way  to  "  the  Illinois,"  in  1679,  that  is,  eight 
years  before  the  act  of  possession  at  St.  Deny's,  and  twenty-two  years 
before  the  establishment  of  the  post  of  Detroit.  The  upper  lakes  had 
then,  however,  been  extensively  laid  open  to  the  enterprise  of  the  mis 
sionaries,  and  of  the  adventurers  in  the  fur  trade.  Marquette,  accom 
panied  by  Alloez,  had  visited  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Superior  in  1668, 
and  made  a  map  of  the  region,  which  was  published  in  the  Lettres  JEdi- 
fiantes.  This  zealous  and  energetic  man  established  the  mission  of  St. 
Ignace  at  Michilimackinac,  about  1669  or  1670,  and  three  years  after 
wards,  entered  the  upper  Mississippi,  from  the  Wisconsin.  Vincennes, 
on  the  Wabash,  was  established  in  1710  ;*  St.  Louis,  not  till  1763.  t 

CANADA,  7th  June,  1687. 
A  renewal  of  the  taking  possession  of  the  territory  upon  the  Straits  [De 

troit]  between  Lakes  Erie  and  Huron,  by  Sieur  de  la  Duranthaye 
OKver  Morel,  Equerry,  Sieur  de  la  Duranthaye,  commandant  in  the  name 

of  the  King  of  the  Territory  of  the  Ottawas,  Miamis,  Pottawatamies, 

Sioux,  and  other  tribes  under  the  orders  of  Monsieur,  the  Marquis  de 

JDenonsville,  Governor  General  of  New  France. 

This  day,  the  7th  of  June,  16S7,  in  presence  of  the  Rev'd  Father  An- 
geleran,  Head  of  the  Missions  with  the  OttawasJ  of  Michilimackinac,  the 
Nicollet's  Report.  t  Law's  Historical  Dis. 


ry's 
Lakes,  in  the  Miami  country,  for  the  Sault  de  Ste-M'arie,  at  the  outlet  of  Lake  Su 


This  is,  manifestly,  an  error.     The  writer  of  this  act  of  possession  appears  to 
have  mistaken  the  bank  of  the  St.  Mary's,  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Miami  of  the 

of 

perior.  The  latter  position  was  occupied,  at  the  earliest  dates,  to  which  tradition 
reaches,  by  a  branch  of  the  Algonquins,  to  whom  the  French  gave  the  name,  from 
the  falls  of  the  river  at  that  locality,  of  Saulteux.  They  are  better  known,  at  this  day 
under  the  name  of  Chippewas  and  Odjibwas. 

328 


SETTLEMENT  OF  DETROIT,  ETC.  329 

Miamis  of  Sault  Ste-Marie,  the  Illinois,  and  Green  Bay,  and  of  the 
Sioux  of  Mons.  de  Ja  Forest,  formerly  commandant  of  Fort  St.  Louis  on 
the  Illinois,  of  Mons.  de  Lisle,  our  Lieutenant,  and  of  Mons.  de  Beau- 
vais,  Lieutenant  of  Fort  St.  Joseph,  on  the  Straits  [Detroit]  between 
Lakes  Huron  and  Erie.  We  declare  to  all  whom  it  may  hereafter  con 
cern,  that  we  have  come  upon  the  banks  of  the  river  St.  Deny's,  situat 
ed  three  leagues  from  Lake  Erie,  in  the  Straits  of  the  said  Lakes  Erie 
and  Huron,  on  the  south  of  said  straits,  and  also  at  the  entrance  on  the 
north  side,  for  and  in  the  name  of  the  King,  that  we  re-take  possession 
of  the  said  posts,  established  by  Mons.  La  Salle  for  facilitating  the  voy 
ages  he  made  or  caused  to  be  made  in  vessels  from  Niagara  to  Michili- 
mackinac,  in  the  years  *  *  at  each  of  which  we  have  Caused  to 

be  set  up  anew  a  staff,  with  the  arms  of  the  King,  in  order  to  make  the 
said  renewed  taking  possession,  and  ordered  several  cabins  to  be  erected 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  French  and  the  Indians  of  the  Shawnees 
and  Miamis,  who  had  long  been  the  proprietors  of  the  said  territory, 
but  who  had  some  time  before  withdrawn  from  the  same  for  their  greater 
advantage. 

The  present  act  passed  in  our  presence,  signed  by  our  hands,  and  by 
Rev.  Father  Angeleran,  of  the  society  of  Jesuits,  by  MM.  De  la  Forest, 
De  Lisle  and  De  Beauvais,  thus  in  the  original : 

Angeleran,  Jesuite. 

De  la  Duranthaye  [la  Gardner]. 

De  Beauvais,  and 

De  la  Forest. 

Compared  by  me  with  the  original  in  my  hands,  Councillor  Secretary 
of  the  King,  and  Register  in  Chief  of  the  Royal  Council  at  Quebec,  sub 
scribed,  and  each  page  paraphe. 

Collated  at  Quebec,  this  llth  September,  1712. 

[Signed] ,  BYON  ET  VANDREUIL. 

Memoir  of  Monsieur  de  la  Mothe  Cadillac,  relative  to  the  establishment  of 
Detroit,  addressed  to  the  Minister  of  Marine,  \4th  September,  1704  : 

La  Mothe  Cadillac  renders  an  account  of  his  conduct  relative  to  the  esta 
blishment  of  Detroit,  by  questions  and  answers.      It  is  the  Minister  who 
questions,  and  La  Mothe  who  answers : 
Q.  Was  it  not  in  1699  that  you  proposed  to  me  an  establishment  in 

the  Straits  which  separate  Lake  Erie  from  Lake  Huron  ? 
A.  Yes,  my  Lord. 
Q.  What  were  the  motives  which  induced  you  to  wish  to  fortify  a 

place  there,  and  make  an  establishment  ? 

A.  I  had  several.     The  first  was  to  make  a  strong  post,  which  should 

not  be  subject  to  the  revolutions  of  other  posts,  by  fixing  there  a  number 


330  THE    CHOCTAW    INDIANS. 

of  French  and  Savages,  in  order  to  curb  the  Iroquois,  who  had  constant* 
ly  annoyed  our  colonies  and  hindered  their  prosperity. 

Q.  At  what  time  did  you  leave  Quebec  to  go  to  Detroit  ? 

A.  On  the  8th  of  March,  1701.  I  reached  Montreal  the  12th? 
when  we  were  obliged  to  make  a  change.  *  *  *  *  I  left  La  Chine  the  5th 
of  June  with  fifty  soldiers  and  fifty  Canadians — Messrs.  De  Fonty,  Cap 
tain,  Duque  and  Chacornach,  Lieutenants.  I  was  ordered  to  pass  by  the 
Grand  River  of  the  Ottawas,  notwithstanding  my  remonstrances.  I 
arrived  at  Detroit  the  24th  July  and  fortified'  myself  there  immediately  ; 
had  the  necessary  huts  made,  and  cleared  up  the  grounds,  preparatory  to 
its  being  sowed  in  the  autumn. 

Compare  these  data,  from  the  highest  sources,  with  the  Indian  tradi 
tion  of  the  first  arrival  of  the  French,  in  the  upper  lakes,  recorded  at 
page  107,  ONEOTA,  No.  2. 


THE  CHOCTAW  INDIANS. 

The  Vicksbnrg  Sentinel  of  the  18th  ult,  referring  to  this  tribe  of 
Indians,  has  the  following  : — "  The  last  remnant  of  this  once  powerful 
tribe  are  now  crossing  our  ferry  on  their  way  to  their  new  homes  in  the 
far  West.  To  one  who,  like  the  writer,  has  been  familiar  to  their  bronze 
inexpressive  faces  from  infancy,  it  brings  associations  of  peculiar  sadness 
to  see  them  bidding  here  a  last  farewell  perhaps  to  the  old  hills  which 
gave  birth,  and  are  doubtless  equally  dear  to  him  and  them  alike.  The 
first  playmates  of  our  infancy  were  the  young  Choctaw  boys  of  the  then 
woods  of  Warren  county.  Their  language  was  once  scarcely  less  fami 
liar  to  us  than  our  mother- English.  We  know,  we  think,  the  character 
of  the  Choctaw  well.  We  knew  many  of  their  present  stalwart  braves 
in  those  daj'S  of  early  life  when  the  Indian  and  white  alike  forget  dis 
guise,  but  in  the  unchecked  exuberance  of  youthful  feeling  show  the  real 
character  that  policy  and  habit  may  afterwards  so  much  conceal  ;  and 
we  know  that,  under  the  stolid  stoic  look  he  assumes,  there  is  burning  in 
the  Indian's  nature  a  heart  of  fire  and  feeling,  and  an  all-observing  keen 
ness  of  apprehension,  that  marks  and  remembers  everything  that  occurs, 
and  every  insult  he  receives.  Cunni-at  a  hah  !  They  are  going  away  ! 
With  a  visible  reluctance  which  nothing  has  overcome  but  the  stern 
necessity  they  feel  impelling  them,  they  have  looked  their  last  on  the 
graves  of  their  sires — the  scenes  of  their  youth — and  have  taken  up  their 
slow  toilsome  march,  with  their  household  gods  among  them,  to  their 
new  home  in  a  strange  land.  They  leave  names  to  many  of  our  rivers, 
towns  and  counties  ;  and  so  long  as  our  State  remains,  the  Choctaws, 
who  once  owned  most  of  her  soil,  will  be  remembered." 


A  SYNOPSIS  OF  CARTIER'S  VOYAGES  OF  DISCOVERY" 
AT  NORTH  AMERICA. 

FIRST  VOYAGE. 

FORTY-TWO  years  had  elapsed  from  the  discovery  of  America  by  Colum 
bus,  when  Jacques  Cartier  prepared  to  share  in  the  maratime  enterprise 
of  the  age,  by  visiting  the  coast.  Cartier  was  a  native  of  Normandy,  and 
sailed  from  the  port  of  St.  Malo,  in  France,  on  the  20th  April,  1534.  It 
will  be  recollected  that  the  conquest  of  Mexico  had  been  completed  13 
years  previous.  Cartier  had  two  small  vessels  of  60  tons  burden  and  61 
men  each.  The  crews  took  an  oath,  before  sailing,  "  to  behave  them 
selves  truly  and  faithfully  in  the  service  of  the  most  Christian  king,"  Fran 
cis  I.  After  an  unusually  prosperous  voyage  of  20  days,  he  made  cape 
"  Buona  Vista"  in  Newfoundland,  which  he  states  to  be  in  north  latitude, 
48°  30'.  Here  meeting  with  ice,  he  made  the  haven  of  St.  Catherine's, 
where  he  was  detained  ten  days.  This  coast  had  now  been  known  since 
the  voyage  of  Cabot,  in  1497,  and  had  been  frequently  resorted  to,  by 
fishing  vessels.  Jean  Denis,  a  native  of  Rouen,  one  of  these  fishermen, 
is  said  to  have  published  the  first  chart  of  it,  in  1506.  Two  years  after 
wards,  Thomas  Aubert,  brought  the  first  natives  from  Newfoundland  to 
Paris,  and  this  is  the  era,  1508,  commonly  assigned  as  the  discovery  of 
Canada.  The  St.  Lawrence  remained,  however,  undiscovered,  nor  does 
it  appear  that  any  thing  was  known,  beyond  a  general  and  vague  know 
ledge  of  the  coast,  and  its  islands.  The  idea  was  yet  entertained,  indeed, 
it  will  be  seen  by  subsequent  facts,  that  America  was  an  island,  and  that  a 
passage  to  the  Asiatic  continent,  existed  in  these  latitudes. 

On  the  21st  May,  Cartier  continued  his  voyage,  sailing  "  north  and  by 
east"  from  cape  Buona  Vista,  and  reached  the  Isle  of  Birds,  so  called 
from  the  unusual  abundance  of  sea  fowl  found  there,  of  the  young  of 
which  the  men  filled  two  boats,  "  so  that"  in  the  quaint  language  of  the 
journal,  "  besides  them  which  we  did  eat  fresh,  every  ship  did  powder 
and  salt  five  or  six  barrels."  He  also  observed  the  god  wit,  and  a  larger 
and  vicious  bird,  which  they  named  margaulx.  While  at  this  island, 
they  descried  a  polar  bear,  which,  in  their  presence  leapt  into  the  sea,  and 

331 


332 

thus  escaped.  On  their  subsequent  passage  to  the  main  land,  they 
again  encountered,  as  they  supposed,  the  same  animal  swimming  towards 
land.  They  manned  their  boats,  and  "  by  main  strength  overtook  her, 
whose  flesh  was  as  good  to  be  eaten,  as  the  flesh  of  a  calf  two  years 
old."  This  bear  is  described  to  be,  "  as  large  as  a  cow,  and  as  white  as  a 
swan." 

On  the  27th  he  reached  the  harbour  of  "  Carpunt"  in  the  bay  "  Les 
Chastaux,"  latitude  51°,  where  he  was  constrained  to  lay  by,  on  account 
of  the  accumulation  of  ice,  till  the  9th  of  June.  The  narrator  of  the  voy- 
a<*e  takes  this  occasion  to  describe  certain  parts  of  the  coast  and  waters  of 

CD  * 

Newfoundland,  the  island  of  St.  Catherine,  Blanc  Sablon,  Brest,  the  Isle 
of  Birds,  and  a  numerous  group  of  Islands  called  the  Islets.  But 
these  memoranda  are  not  connected  with  any  observations  or  discoveries 
of  importance.  Speaking  of  Bird  and  Brest  Islands,  he  says,  they  afford 
"  great  store  of  god  wits,  and  crows,  with  red  beaks  and  red  feet,"  who 
"  make  their  nests  in  holes  underground,  even  as  conies."  Near  this  lo 
cality  "  there  is  great  fishing." 

On  the  10th  June,  he  entered  a  port  in  the  newly  named  island  of 
Brest,  to  procure  wood  and  water.  Meantime,  boats  were  dispatched  to 
explore  among  the  islands,  which  were  found  so  numerous  "  that  it  was  not 
possible  they  might  be  told,  for  they  continued  about  10  leagues  beyond 
the  said  port."  The  explorers  slept  on  an  island.  The  next  day  they 
continued  their  discoveries  along  the  coast,  and  having  passed  the  islands, 
found  a  haven,  which  they  named  St.  Anthony :  one  or  two  leagues  be 
yond,  they  found  a  small  river  named  St.  Servansport,  and  here  set  up  a 
cross.  About  three  leagues  further,  they  discovered  another  river,  of 
larger  size,  in  which  they  found  salmon,  and  bestowed  upon  it  the  name 
of  St.  Jacques. 

While  in  the  latter  position,  they  descried  a  ship  from  Rochelle,  on  a 
fishing  voyage,  and  rowing  out  in  their  boats,  directed  it  to  a  port  near  at 
hand,  in  what  is  called  "Jaques  Carrier's  Sound,"  "which,"  adds  the  nar 
rator,  "  I  take  to  be  one  of  the  best,  in  all  the  world."  The  face  of  the 
country  they  examined,  is,  however,  of  the  most  sterile  and  forbidding  char 
acter,  being  little  besides  "  stones  and  wild  crags,  and  a  place  fit  for  wild 
beasts,  for  in  all  the  North  Island,"  he  continues, "  I  did  not  see  a  cart  load 
of  good  earth,  yet  went  I  on  shore,  in  many  places,  and  in  the  Island 
of  White  Sand,  (Blanc  Sablon,)  there  is  nothing  else  but  moss  and  small 
thorns,  scattered  here  and  there,  withered  and  dry.  To  be  short,  I  be 
lieve  that  this  was  the  land  that  God  allotted  to  Cain." 

Immediately  following  this,  we  have  the  first  description  of  the  natives. 
The  men  are  described  as  being  "  of  an  indifferent  good  stature  and  big 
ness,  but  wild  and  unruly.  They  wear  their  hair  tied  on  the  top,  like  a 
wreath  of  hay,  and  put  a  wooden  pin  within  it,  or  any  other  such  thing,  in 
stead  of  a  nail,  and  withthem,  they  bind  certain  birds  feathers.  They  are 


CAR-TIER'S  VOYAGES  OF  DISCOVERY.  333 

clothed  with  beast  skins,  as  well  the  men  as  women,  but  that  the  women  go 
somewhat  straiter  and  closer  in  their  garments,  than  the  men  do,  with  their 
waists  'girded.  They  paint  themselves  with  certain  roan  colours ;  their 
boats  are  made  of  the  bark  of  birch  trees,  with  the  which  they  fish,  and  take 
great  store  of  seals.  And  as  far  as  we  could  understand,  since  our  coming1 
thither,  that  is  not  their  habitation,  but  they  come  from  the  main  land,  out  of 
hotter*  countries  to  catch  the  said  seals,  .and  other  necessaries  for  their  liv 
ing." 

From  this  exploratory  trip,  the  boats  returned  to  their  newly  named  har 
bour  of  Brest,  on  the  13th.  On  the  14th,  being  the  Sabbath,  service  was 
read,  and  the  next  day  Cartier  continued  his  voyage,  steering  southerly, 
along  the  coast,  which  still  wore  a  most  barren  and  cheerless  aspect. 
Much  of  this  part  of  the  narrative  is  taken  up  with  distances  and  sound 
ings,  and  the  naming  of  capes  and  islands  of  very  little  interest  at  the 
present  day.  They  saw  a  few  huts  nipon  the  cliffs  on  the  18th,  and 
named  this  part  of  the  coast  "  Les  Granges,"  but  did  not  stop  to  form  any 
acquaintance  with  their  tenants.  Cape  Royal  was  reached  and  named 
the  day  prior,  and  is  said  to  be  the  "  greatest  fishery  of  cods  there  possibly 
may  be,  for  in  less  than  an  hour  we  took  a  hundred  of  them."  On  the 
24th  they  discovered  the  island  of  St.  John.  They  saw  myriads  of  birds 
upon  the  group  of  islands  named  "  Margaulx,"  five  leagues  westward 
of  which  they  discovered  a  large,  fertile,  and  well-timbered  island,  to 
which  the  name  of  "  Brion"  was  given.  The  contrast  presented  by  the 
soil  and  productions  of  this  island,  compared  with  the  bleak  and  waste 
shores  they  had  before  encountered,  excited  their  warm  admiration  ;  and 
with  the  aid  of  this  excitement,  they  here  saw  "  wild  corn,"  peas,  goose 
berries,  strawberries,  damask  roses,  and  parsley,  "  with  other  sweet  and 
pleasant  herbs."  They  here  also  saw  the  walrus,  bear,  and  wolf. 

Very  little  is  to  be  gleaned  from  the  subsequent  parts  of  the  voyage, 
until  they  reached  the  gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  Mists,  head  winds,  barren 
rocks,  sandy  shores,  storms  and  sunshine,  alternately  make  up  the  land 
scape  presented  to  view.  Much  caution  was  evinced  in  standing  off 
and  on  an  iron  bound  coast,  and  the  boats  were  often  employed  in  ex 
ploring  along  the  main  land.  While  thus  employed  near  a  shallow 
stream,  called  the  «  River  of  Boats,"  they  saw  natives  crossing  the  stream 
in  their  canoes,  but  the  wind  coming  to  blow  on  shore,  they  were  com 
pelled  to  retire  to  their  vessels,  without  opening  any  communication  with 
them.  On  the  following  day,  while  the  boats  were  traversing  the  coast, 
they  saw  a  native  running  along  shore  after  them,  who  made  signs  as  they 
supposed,  directing  them  to  return  towards  the  cape  they  had  left.  But 
as  soon  as  the  boat  turned  he  fled.  They  landed,  however,  and  putting  a 

*I  underscore  the  word  "  hotter/'  to  denote  the  prevalent  theory  They  were  search 
ing  for  China  or  the  East  India. 


334  CARTIER'S  VOYAGES  OF  DISCOVERY. 

Knife  and  a  woollen  girdle  on  a  staff,  as  a  good-will  offering,  returned  to 
their  vessels. 

The  character  of  this  part  of  the  Newfoundland  coast,  impressed  them  as 
being  greatly  superior  to  the  portions  which  they  had  previously  seen, 
both  in  soil  and  temperature.  In  addition  to  the  productions  found  at 
Brion's  Island,  they  noticed  cedars,  pines,  white  elm,  ash,  willow,  and  what 
are  denominated  "  ewe-trees."  Among  the  feathered  tribes  they  mention 
the  "  thrush  and  stock-dove."  By  the  latter  term  the  passenger  pigeon  is 
doubtless  meant.  The  "  wild  corn"  here  again  mentioned,  is  said  to  be 
"  like  unto  rye,"  from  which  it  may  be  inferred  that  it  was  the  zizania, 
although  the  circumstance  of  its  being  an  equatic  plant  is  not  mentioned. 

In  running  along  the  coast  Carder  appears  to  have  been  engrossed  with 
the  idea,  so  prevalent  among  the  mariners  of  that  era,  of  rinding  a  pas 
sage  to  India,  and  it  was  probably  on  this  account  that  he  made  such  a 
scrupulous  examination  of  every  inlet  and  bay,  and  the  productions  of  the 
shores.  Wherever  the  latter  offered  anything  favourable,  there  was  a 
strong  disposition  to  admiration,  and  to  make  appearances  correspond  with 
the  theory.  It  must  be  recollected  that  Hudson,  seventy-five  years  later, 
in  sailing  up  the  North  River,  had  similar  notions.  Hence  the  application 
of  several  improper  terms  to  the  vegetable  and  animal  productions  of  the 
latitudes,  and  the  constant  expectation  of  beholding  trees. bending  with 
fruits  and  spices,  "  goodly  trees"  and  "very  sweet  and  pleasant  herbs." 
That  the  barren  and  frigid  shores  of  Labrador,  and  the  northern  parts  of 
Newfoundland,  should  have  been  characterised  as  a  region  subject  to  the 
divine  curse,  is  not  calculated  to  excite  so  much  surprise,  as  the  disposition 
with  every  considerable  change  of  soil  and  verdure,  to  convert  it  into  a 
land  of  oriental  fruitfulness.  It  does  not  appear  to  have  been  sufficiently 
borne  in  mind,  that  the  increased  verdure  and  temperature,  were,  in  a  great 
measure,  owing  to  the  advancing  state  of  the  season.  He  came  on  this 
coast  on  the  10th  of  May,  and  it  was  now  July.  It  is  now  very  well 
known  that  the  summers  in  high  northern  latitudes,  although  short,  are  at 
tended  with  a  high  degree  of  heat. 

On  the  3d  of  July  Cartier  entered  the  gulf  to  which  the  name  of  ISt. 
Lawrence  has  since* been  applied,  the  centre  of  which  he  states  to  be  in 
latitude  47°  30'.  On  the  4th  he  proceeded  up  the  bay  to  a  creek  called 
St.  Martin,  near  bay  De  Chaleur,  where  he  was  detained  by  stress  of  wea 
ther  eight  days.  While  thus  detained,  one  of  the  ship's  boats  was  sent 
a-head  to  explore.  They  went  7  or  8  leagues  to  a  cape  of  the  bay,  where 
they  descried  two  parties  of  Indians,  "  in  about  40  or  50  canoes,"  crossing 
the  channel.  One  of  the  parties  landed  and  beckoned,  them  to  follow 
their  example,  "making  a  great  noise"  and  showing  "certain  skins  upon 
pieces  of  wood" — i.  e.  fresh  stretched  skins.  Fearing  their  numbers,  the 
seamen  kept  aloof.  The  Indians  prepared  to  follow  them,  in  two  canoes, 
in  which  movement  they  were  joined  by  five  canoes  of  the  other  party, 


CARTIER'S  VOYAGES  OP  DISCOVERY.  335 

•*  who  were  coming  from  the  sea  side."  They  approached  in  a  friendly 
manner,  "  dancing  and  making  many  signs  of  joy,  saying  in  their  tongue 
Nape  tondamen  assuath."*  The  seamen,  however,  suspected  their  in 
tentions,  and  finding  it  impossible  to  elude  them  by  flight,  two  shots  were 
discharged  among  them,  by  which  they  were  so  terrified,  that  they  fled 
precipitately  ashore,  "  making  a  great  noise."  After  pausing  awhile,  tho 
"  wild  men"  however,  re-embarked,  and  renewed  the  pursuit,  but  after 
coming  alongside,  they  were  frightened  back  by  the  strokes  of  twc 
lances,  which  so  disconcerted  them  that  they  fled  in  haste,  and  made  no 
further  attempt  to  follow. 

This  appears  to  have  been  the  first  rencontre  of  the  ship's  crew  with 
the  natives.  On  the  following  day,  an  interview  was  brought  on,  by  the 
approach  of  said  "  wild  men "  in  nine  canoes,  which  is  thus  described. 
"  We  being  advertised  of  their  coming,  went  to  the  point  where  they  were 
with  our  boats :  but  so  soon  as  they  saw  us  they  began  to  flee,  making 
signs  that  they  came  to  traffic  with  us,  showing  us  such  skins  as  they 
clothed  themselves  withal,  which  are  of  small  value.  We  likewise  made 
signs  unto  them,  that  we  wished  them  no  evil,  and  in  sign  thereof,  two  of 
our  men  ventured  to  go  on  land  to  them,  and  carry  them  knives,  with 
other  iron  wares,  and  a  red  hat  to  give  unto  their  captain.  Which,  when 
;hey  saw,  they  also  came  on  land,  and  brought  some  of  their  skins,  and  so 
began  to  deal  with  us,  seeming  to  be  very  glad  to  have  our  iron  wares  and 
other  things,  dancing,  with  many  other  ceremonies,  as  with  their  hands  to 
cast  sea  water  on  their  heads.  They  gave  us  whatever  they  had,  not 
keeping  any  thing,  so  that  they  were  constrained  to  go  back  again  naked, 
and  made  us  signs,  that  the  next  day,  they  would  come  again  and  bring 
more  skins  with  them." 

Observing  a  spacious  bay  extending  beyond  the  cape,  where  this  inter 
course  had  been  opened,  and  the  wind  proving  adverse  to  the  vessels  quit 
ting  their  harbour,  Carrier  despatched  his  boats  to  examine  it,  under  an  ex 
pectation  that  it  might  afford  the  desired  passage — for  it  is  at  all  times  to 
be  observed  that  he  was  diligently  seeking  the  long  sought  passage  to  the 
Indies.  While  engaged  in  this  examination,  his  men  discovered  "the 
smokes  and  fires"  of  "  wild  men"  (the  term  constantly  used  in  the  narrative 
to  designate  the  natives.)  These  smokes  were  upon  a  small  lake,  communi 
cating  with  the  bay.  An  amiable  interview  took  place,  the  natives  presenting 
cooked  seal,  and  the  French  making  a  suitable  return  "  in  hatchets,  knives 
and  beads."  After  these  preliminaries,  which  were  conducted  with  a  good 
deal  of  caution,  by  deputies  from  both  sides,*the  body  of  the  men  ap 
proached  in  their  canoes,  for  the  purpose  of  trafficking,  leaving  most  of 

*  In  Mr.  Gallatin's  comparative  vocabulary,  "  Napew"  means  man,  in  the  Shesh- 
atapoosh  or  Labrador.  It  is  therefore  fair  to  conclude  that  these  were  a  party  of  Shesh- 
atapoosh  Indians,  whose  language  proves  them  to  be  of  the  kindred  of  the  great  Algon 
quin  family. 


336  CARTIER's    VOYAGES    OF   DISCOVERY. 

their  families  behind.  About  300  men  women  and  children  were  esti 
mated  to  have  been  seen  at  this  place.  They  evinced  their  friendship  by 
singing  and  dancing,  and  by  rubbing  their  hands  upon  the  arms  of  their 
European  visitors,  then  lifting  them  up  towards  the  heavens.  An  opinion 
is  expressed  that  these  people,  (who  were  in  the  position  assigned  to  the 
Micmacs  in  1600  in  Mr.  Gallatin's  ethnological  map,)  might  very  easily 
be  converted  to  Christianity.  "  They  go,"  says  the  narrator,  "  from  place 
to  place.  They  live  only  by  fishing.  They  have  an  ordinary  time  to  fish 
for  their  provisions.  The  country  is  hatter  than  the  country  of  Spain,  and 
the  fairest  that  can  possibly  be  found,  altogether  smooth  and  level."  To 
the  productions  before  noticed,  as  existing  on  Brion's  island  foe.,  and  which 
were  likewise  found  here,  he  adds,  "  white  and  red  roses,  with  many  other 
flowers  of  very  sweet  and  pleasant  smell."  "  There  be  also,"  says  the 
journalist,  "many  goodly  meadows,  full  of  grass,  and  lakes,  wherein 
plenty  of  salmon  be."  The  natives  called  a  hatchet  cochi,  and  a  knife 
bacon*  It  was  now  near  the  middle  of  July,  and  the  degree  of  heat  ex 
perienced  on  the  excursion  induced  Cartier  to  name  the  inlet,  Baie  du 
Chaleur — a  name  it  still  retains. 

On  the  12th  of  July  Cartier  left  his  moorings  at  St.  Martin's  creek,  and 
proceeded  up  the  gulf,  but  encountering  bad  weather  he  was  forced  into  a 
bay,  which  appears  to  have  been  Gaspe,  where  one  of  the  vessels  lost  her 
anchor.  They  were  forced  to  take  shelter  in  a  river  of  that  bay,  and 
there  detained  thirteen  days.  In  the  mean  while  they  opened  an  inter 
course  with  the  natives,  who  were  found  in  great  numbers  engaged  in 
fishing  for  makerel.  Forty  canoes,  and  200  men  women  and  children 
were  estimated  to  have  been  seen,  during  their  detention.  Presents  of 
"  knives,  combs,  beads  of  glass,  and  other  trifles  of  small  value,"  were 
made  to  them,  for  which  they  expressed  great  thankfulness,  lifting  up  their 
hands,  and  dancing  and  singing. 

These  (^.spe  Indians  are  represented  as  differing,  both  in  nature  and 
.anguage,  from  those  before  mentioned.  They  presented  a  picture  of 
abject  poverty,  were  partially  clothed  in  "  old  skins,"  and  lived  without  the 
use  of  tents.  They  may,  says  the  journalist,  "very  well  and  truly  be 
called  wild,  because  there  is  no  poorer  people  in  the  world,  for  I  think, 
all  they  had  together,  besides  their  boats  and  nets,  was  not  worth  five 
sous."  They  shaved  their  heads,  except  a  tuft  at  the  crown  ;  sheltered 
themselves  at  night  under  their  canoes  on  the  bare  ground,  and  ate  their 
provisions  very  partially  copked.  They  were  wholly  without  the  use  of 
salt,  and  "  ate  nothing  that  had  any  taste  of  salt."  On  Carder's  first  land 
ing  among  them,  the  men  expressed  their  joy,  as  those  at  bay  Chaleur  had 
done,  by  singing  and  dancing.  But  they  had  caused  all  their  women, 

*  Koshee  and  Bahkon.  These  are  not  the  terms  for  a  hatchet  and  a  knife  in  the  Mic- 
mac,  nor  in  the  old  Algonquin,  nor  in  the  Wyandot. 


33" 

except  2  or  3,  to  flee  into  the  woods.  By  giving  a  comb  and  a  tin  bell  to 
each  of  the  women  who  had  ventured  to  remain,  the  avarice  of  the  men  was 
excited,  and  they  quickly  caused  their  women,  to  the  number  of  about  20, 
to  sally  from  the  woods,  to  each  of  whom  the  same  present  was  made. 
They  caressed  Cartier  by  touching  and  rubbing  him  with  their  hands  ; 
they  also  sung  and  danced.  Their  nets  were  made  of  a  species  of  indi 
genous  hemp  ;  they  possessed  also,  a  kind  of  "  millet"  called  "  kapaige," 
beans  called  "  Sahu,"  and  nuts  called  "  Cahehya."  If  any  thing  was 
exhibited,  which  they  did  not  know,  or  understand,  they  shook  their 
heads  saying  "  Nohda."  It  is  added  that  they  never  come  to  the  sea,  ex 
cept  in  fishing  time,  which,  we  may  remark,  was  probably  the  cause  of 
Sheir  having  no  lodges,  or  much  other  property  about  them.  They  would 
naturally  wish  to  disencumber  their  canoes  as  much  as  possible,  in  these 
summer  excursions,  that  they  might  freight  them  back  with  dried  fish. 
The  language  spoken  by  these  Gaspe  Indians  is  manifestly  of  the  Iroquois 
type.  "  Cahehya,"  is,  with  a  slight  difference,  the  term  for  fruit,  in  the 
Oneida. 

On  the  24th  July,  Cartier  set  up  a  cross  thirty  feet  high,  inscribed, 
"  Vive  le  Roy  de  France."  The  natives  who  were  present  at  this  cere 
mony,  seem,  on  a  little  reflection,  to  have  conceived  the  true  intent  of  it, 
and  their  chief  complained  of  it,  in  a  "  long  oration,"  giving  them  to  under 
stand  "  that  the  country  was  his,  and  that  we  should  not  set  up  any  cross, 
without  his  leave."  Having  quieted  the  old  chief's  fears,  and  made  use 
of  a  little  duplicity,  to  get  him  to  come  alongside,  they  seized  two  of  the  na 
tives  for  the  purpose  of  taking  them  to  France,  and  on  the  next  day  set  sail, 
up  the  gulf.  After  making  some  further  examinations  of  the  gulf,  and  being 
foiled  in  an  attempt  to  enter  the  mouth  of  a  river,  Cartier  turned  his  thoughts 
on  a  return.  He  was  alarmed  by  the  furious  tides  setting,  out  of  the  St. 
Lawrence ;  the  weather  was  becoming  tempestuous,  and  under  these  cir 
cumstances  he  assembled  his  captains  and  principal  men,  "  to  put  the  ques 
tion  as  to  the  expediency  of  continuing  the  voyage."  They  advised  him 
to  this  effect .  That,  considering  that  easterly  winds  began  to  prevail — "  that 
there  was  nothing  to  be  gotten" — that,  the  impetuosity  of  the  tides  was  such 
"  That  they  did  but  fall,"  and  that  storms  and  tempests  began  to  reign — and 
moreover,  that  they  must  either  promptly  return  home,  or  else  remain  where 
they  were  till  spring,  it  was  expedient  to  return.  With  this  counsel  he 
complied.  No  time  was  lost  in  retracing  their  outward  track,  along  the 
Newfoundland  coast.  They  reached  the  port  of  "  White  Sands,"  on  the 
9th  of  August.  On  the  15th,  being  "the  feast  of  the  Assumption  of  Our 
Lady,"  after  service,  Cartier  took  his  departure  from  the  coast.  He  en 
countered  a  heavy  storm,  of  three  days  continuance,  "  about  the  middle  of 
the  sea,"  and  reached  the  port  of  St.  Malo,  on  the  5th  of  September,  after  an 
absence  of  four  months  and  sixteen  days. 

This  comprises  the  substance  of  the  first  voyage  of  discovery,  of  which 

22 


338  CARTIER'S  VOYAGES  OF  DISCOVERY. 

we  have  knowledge,  ever  made  within  the  waters  of  the  St.  Lawrence. 
The  Newfoundland  and  Nova  Scotia  coasts,  together  with  the  shores  of 
the  North  Atlantic  generally,  hadheen  discovered  by  Cabot,  37  years  before. 
The  banks  of  Newfoundland  had  been  resorted  to,  as  is  known  pretty  freely 
for  the  purpose  of  fishing,  for  26  years  of  this  period,  and  the  natives  had 
been  at  least,  in  one  instance,  taken  to  Europe.  But  the  existence  of  the 
St.  Lawrence  appears  not  to  have  been  known.  Carder,  is,  therefore,  the 
true  discoverer  of  Canada,  although  he  was  not  its  founder.  The  latter  hon 
our  was  reserved  for  another.  In  the  two  succeeding  voyages  made  by  Car- 
tier,  of  which  it  is  proposed  to  make  a  synopsis,  his  title  as  a  discoverer,  is 
still  more  fully  established. 

SECOND  VOYAGE. 

A.  D.  1535,  May,  19th,  Cartier  left  St.  Malo,  on  his  second  voyage  of 
discovery,  "  to  the  islands  of  Canada,  Hochelaga,  and  Saguenay,"  with 
three  ships— the  "Hermina"  of  100  to  120  tons— the  "little  Hermina" 
of  60  tons,  and  the  "  Hermerillon"  of  40  tons,  commanded  by  separate 
masters,  acting  under  his  orders  as  "  General."  He  was  accompanied  by 
several  gentlemen  and  adventurers,  among  whom  the  narrator  of  the 
voyage  mentions,  "  Master  Claudius  de  Pont  Briand,  son  to  the  Lord  of 
Montceuell,  and  cup-bearer  to  the  Dauphin  of  France  ;  Charles  of  Pome- 
rais,  and  John  Powlet."  He  suffered  a  severe  gale  on  the  outward 
passage,  in  which  the  ships  parted  company.  Cartier  reached  the  coast 
of  Newfoundland  on  the  7th  July,  and  was  not  rejoined  by  the  other  ves 
sels  till  the  26th,  on  which  day  the  missing  vessels  entered  "  the  port  of 
White  Sands"  in  the  bay  des  Chasteaux,  the  place  previously  designated 
for  their  general  rendezvous. 

On  the  27th  he  continued  his  voyage  along  the  coast,  keeping  in 
sight  of  land,  and  consequently  running  great  risks,  from  the  numerous 
shoals  he  encountered  in  seeking  out  anchorages.  Many  of  the  islands 
and  headlands  named  in  the  previous  voyage,  were  observed,  and  names 
were  bestowed  upon  others,  which  had  before  escaped  notice.  Soundings 
and  courses  and  distances,  are  detailed  with  the  tedious  prolixity,  and  pro 
bably,  with  the  uncertainty  of  the  era.  Nothing  of  importance  occurred 
until  the  8th  of  August,  when  Cartier  entered  the  gulf,  where  he  had  pre 
viously  encountered  such  storms,  and  which  he  now  named  ST.  LAW 
RENCE.  From  thence  on  the  12th,  he  pursued  his  voyage  westward 
"  about  25  leagues"  to  a  cape  named  "  Assumption,"  which  appears  to 
have  been  part  of  the  Nova  Scotia  coast.  It  is  quite  evident  that  the  idea 
of  a  continuoue  continent  was  not  entertained  by  Cartier  at  this  period, 
although  the  Cabots  had  discovered  and  run  down  the  coast  nearly  40 
years  before  (1497.)  He  constantly  speaks  of  his  discoveries  as  "islands" 


CARTIER'S  VOYAGES  OF  DISCOVERT.  339 

and  the  great  object  of  anxiety  seems  to  have  been,  to  find  the  long 
sought  "  passage"  so  often  mentioned  in  his  journals. 

The  two  natives  whom  he  had  seized  on  the  previous  voyage,  now  told 
him,  that  cape  Assumption  was  a  part  of  the  "  southern  coast,"  or  main, 
— that  there  was  an  island  north  of  the  passage  to  "  Honguedo"  where 
they  had  been  taken  the  year  before,  and  that  "  two  days  journey  from 
the  said  cape,  and  island,  began  the  kingdom  of  Saguenay." 

In  consequence  of  this  information,  and  a  wish  to  revisit  "  the  land  he 
had  before  espied,"  Cartier  turned  his  course  towards  the  north,  and  re- 
entering  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  came  to  the  entrance  of  the  river, 
which  is  stated  to  be  "  about  thirty  leagues"  across.  Here,  the  two  na 
tives  told  him,  was  the  commencement  of  "  Saguenay," — that  it  was  an 
inhabited  country,  and  produced  "  red  copper."  They  further  informed 
him,  that  this  was  the  mouth  of  the  "  great  river  of  Hochelaga,  and  ready 
way  to  Canada," — that  it  narrowed  in  the  ascent  towards*  Canada,  the 
waters  becoming  fresh ;  that  its  sources  were  so  remote  that  they  had 
never  heard  of  any  man  who  had  visited  them,  and  that  boats  would  be 
required  to  complete  the  ascent. 

This  information  appears  to  have  operated  as  a  disappointment  on  Car- 
tier,  and  he  determined  to  explore  northward  from  the  gulf,  "  because  he 
would  know"  to  use  the  quaint  language  of  the  narrator,  "  if  between  the 
lands  towards  the  north  any  passage  might  be  discovered."  No  such 
passage  could  however  be  found,  and  after  devoting  ten  or  twelve  days  to 
re-examinations  of  points  and  islands  before  but  imperfectly  discovered,  or 
to  the  discovery  of  others,  he  returned  to  the  river  St.  Lawrence,  which 
he  began  to  ascend :  and  on  the  1st  Sept.  he  came  to  the  entrance  of  the 
Saguenay  river,  which  is  described  as  a  bold  and  deep  stream,  entering 
the  St.  Lawrence,  between  bare,  precipitous  rocks,  crowned  with  trees. 
Here  they  encountered  four  canoes  of  Indians,  who  evinced  their  charac 
teristic  caution  and  shyness.  On  being  hailed,  however,  by  the  two  cap 
tive  natives,  who  disclosed  to  them,  their  names,  they  came  along  side. 
But  the  journal  records  no  further  particulars  of  this  interview.  They 
proceeded  up  the  river  next  day.  The  tides  are  noticed  as  being  "  very 
swift  and  dangerous,"  and  the  "  current"  is  described  as  equalling  that  at 
Bordeaux.  Many  tortoises  were  seen  at  the  "  Isle  of  Condres,"  and  a 
species  of  fish,  which  are  described  of  equalling  a  porpoise  in  size,  with  a 
head  resembling  a  greyhound's,  and  of  unspotted  whiteness.  It  may  be 
vague  to  offer  a  conjecture  from  such  a  description  as  to  the  species  of 
fish  intended,  but  as  the  natives  reported  them  to  be  "  very  savoury  and 
good  to  be  eaten,"  it  may  be  inferred,  that  the  sturgeon  was  meant. 
Many  of  the  descriptions  of  the  animal  productions  of  America,  given  by 
Cartier,  appear  to  be  drawn  up,  rather  with  a  view  to  excite  wonder,  in 
an  age  when  wonders  were  both  industriously  sought,  and  readily  credited, 
than  to  convey  any  accurate  idea  of  their  true  characters  and  properties. 


340  CARTIERS    VOYAGES    OF    DISCOVERY. 

On  the  7th  of  Sept.  they  reached  the  island  now  called  Orleans,  where, 
it  is  said  "  the  country  of  Canada  beginneth."  This  island  is  stated  to  be 
ten  leagues  long,  and  five  broad,  being  inhabited  by  natives  who  lived  ex 
clusively  by  fishing.  Having  anchored  his  vessels  in  the  channel,  he 
made  a  formal  landing  in  his  boats,  taking  the  two  captives,  Domaigaia. 
and  Taignoagny,  as  interpreters.  The  natives  at  first  fled,  but  hearing 
themselves  addressed  in  their  own  tongue,  and  finding  the  captives  to  be 
their  own  countrymen,  friendly  intercourse  at  once  ensued.  The  natives 
evinced  their  joy  by  dancing,  and  "  showing  many  sorts  of  ceremonies." 
They  presented  Cartier,  "  eels  and  other  sorts  of  fishes,  with  two  or  three 
burdens  of  great  millet,  wherewith  they  make  their  bread,  and  many 
great  mush  mellons."  This  "  great  millet"  appears  to  have  been  zea, 
maisj  which  is  here  for  the  first  time  noticed,  amongst  the  northern  In 
dians.  The  report  of  the  arrival  of  their  lost  countrymen  D.  and  T. 
seemed  to  haye  put  all  the  surrounding  villages  in  commotion,  and  Car- 
tier  found  himself  thronged  with  visitors,  to  whom  he  gave  presents, 
trifling  in  themselves,  but  of  much  value  in  the  eyes  of  the  Indians.  The 
utmost  harmony  and  good  feeling  appear  to  have  prevailed. 

On  the  following  day  Donnacona,  who  is  courteously  styled  the  Lord  of 
Agouhanna,  visited  the  ships,  with  12  boats,  or  canoes — ten  of  which  how 
ever,  he  directed  to  stay  at  a  distance,  and  with  the  other  two  and  16  men 
approached  the  vessels.  A  friendly  conference  ensued.  The  chief,  when 
he  drew  near  the  headmost  vessel  began  "  to  frame  a  long  oration, 
moving  all  his  body  and  members  after  a  strange  fashion."  When  he 
reached  Cartier's  ship,  the  captives  entered  into  free  discourse  with  him, 
imparting  the  observations  they  had  made  in  France,  and  the  kind  treat 
ment  they  had  experienced.  At  this  recital  Donnacona  was  so  much 
pleased,  that  he  desired  Cartier  to  reach  him  his  arm.  that  he  might 
kiss  it.  He  not  only  kissed  it,  but  "  laid  it  about  his  neck,  for  so  they  use 
to  do,  when  they  will  make  much  of  one."  Cartier  then  entered  into  the 
chief's  boat,  "  causing  bread  and  wine  to  be  brought,"  and  after  eating 
and  drinking  with  him  and  his  followers,  the  interview  terminated  in 
mutual  satisfaction. 

The  advanced  state  of  the  season,  and  the  determination  to  visit  Hoche- 
laga  (now  Montreal)  before  the  ice  formed,  admonished  Cartier  to  look 
for  a  harbour,  which  would  afford  a  safe  anchorage  for  his  largest  ves 
sels  during  the  winter.  He  selected  "  a  little  river  and  haven,"  opposite 
the  head  of  the  island,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  "  Santa  Croix," 
being  in  the  vicinity  of  Donnacona's  village.  No  time  was  lost  in  bring 
ing  up  and  mooring  the  vessels,  and  driving  piles  into  the  harbour  for 
their  better  security.  While  engaged  in  this  work,  further  acquaintance 
was  made  with  the  natives,  and  their  opinion  of  Cartier's  visit,  began  to 
manifest  itself,  by  which  it  appeared,  that  the  friendship  established  with 
Him  was  rather  apparent,  than  real  About  this  time  Taignoagny  and 


CARTIER'S  VOYAGES  OF  DISCOVERY.  341 

Domaigaia  were  suffered  to  return  to  their  villages,  and  it  soon  became 
apparent,  that  the  knowledge  they  had  acquired  of  the  French,  would  be 
wielded  to  put  their  countrymen  on  their  guard  against  encroachments 
upon  their  soil.  Taignoagny,  in  particular,  rendered  himself  obnoxious 
to  the  French,  by  his  sullen  and  altered  conduct,  and  the  activity  he  after 
wards  manifested  in  thwarting  Cartier's  design  of  visiting  the  island  of 
Hochelaga,  although  it  appears,  he  had,  previous  to  leaving  the  vessels, 
promised  to  serve  as  a  guide  on  the  expedition. 

Donnacona  himself  opposed  the  projected  visit,  by  argument,  by  artifice, 
and  finally,  by  the  extraordinary  resource  of  human  gifts.  His  aversion 
to  it  first  evinced  itself  by  keeping  aloof,  and  adopting  a  shy  and  suspicious 
demeanour.  Cartier  finding  this  chief,  with  T.  and  D.  and  a  numerous 
retinue  in  his  vicinity,  "  under  a  point  or  nook  of  land,"  ordered  a  part  of 
his  men  to  follow  him,  and  suddenly  presented  himself  in  the  midst  of 
them.  After  mutual  salutations,  Taignoagny  got  up  and  addressed  him, 
in  behalf  of  Donnacona,  complaining  that  they  came  armed,  to  which 
Cartier  replied  that,  it  was  the  custom  of  his  country,  and  a  custom  he 
could  not  dispense  with.  The  bustle  and  heat  of  the  introduction  being 
over,  Cartier  played  the  part  of  a  politic  diplomatist,  and  was  met  by  Don 
nacona  and  his  counsellors  on  his  own  grounds,  and  the  whole  interview, 
though  it  resulted  in  what  is  called  "  a  marvellous  steadfast  league  of 
friendship"  can  only  be  looked  upon,  as  a  strife,  in  which  it  is  the  object 
of  both  parties  to  observe  the  most  profound  dissimulation.  This 
"  league"  was  ratified  by  the  natives,  with  three  loud  cries,  "  a  most  hor 
rible  thing  to  hear"  says  the  narrator. 

On  the  very  next  day  Donnacona,  attended  with  T.  and  D.  and  10  or 
12  "  of  the  chiefest  of  the  country,  with  more  than  500  persons,  men,  wo 
men  and  children."  came  on  board  of  the  vessels,  at  their  moorings,  to 
protest  against  the  intended  voyage  of  exploration.  Taignoagny  opened 
the  conference,  by  saying  to  Cartier,  that  Donnacona  regretted  his  design 
of  visiting  Hochelaga,  and  had  forbid  any  of  his  people  from  accompany 
ing  him,  because  the  river  itself  "  was  of  no  importance."  Cartier  replied 
that  his  decision  was  made,  and  urged  the  speaker  to  go  with  him,  as  he 
had  promised,  offering  to  make  the  voyage  every  way  advantageous  to 
him.  A  prompt  refusal,  on  the  part  of  T.  and  the  sudden  withdrawal  of 
the  whole  collected  multitude,  terminated  this  interview. 

On  the  next  day  Donnacona  re-appeared  with  all  his  followers,  bring 
ing  presents  of  fish,  singing  and  dancing.  He  then  caused  all  his  people 
to  pass  to  one  side,  and  drawing  a  circle  in  the  sand,  requested  Cartier 
and  his  followers,  to  enter  into  it.  This  arrangement  concluded,  he  be 
gan  an  address,  "  holding  in  one  of  his  hands  a  maiden  child  ten  or 
twelve  years  old,"  whom  he  presented  to  Cartier,  the  multitude  at 
the  same  time  giving  three  shouts.  He  then  brought  forward  two  male 
children,  separately,  presenting  them  in  the  same  manner,  and  his  people 


342 

at  each  presentation,  expressing  their  assent  by  shouts.  Taignoagny,  who 
by  this  time  had  drawn  upon  himself  the  epithet  of  "  crafty  knave"  told 
the  "  captain"  (as  Cartier  is  all  along  termed,)  that  one  of  the  children 
was  his  own  brother,  and  that  the  girl  was  a  daughter  of  Donnacona's 
*  own  sister,"  and  that  this  presentation,  was  made  to  him,  solely  with  a 
view  of  dissuading  him  from  his  expedition.  Cartier  persisted  in  saying, 
that  his  mind  was  made  up,  and  could  not  be  altered.  Here,  Domai- 
gaia  interposed,  and  said,  that  the  children  were  offered  as  "  a  sign  and 
token  of  good  will  and  security,"  and  not  with  any  specific  purpose  of 
dissuading  him  from  the  expedition.  High  words  passed  between  the  two 
liberated  captives,  from  which  it  was  evident  that  one,  or  the  other,  had 
either  misconceived  or  misrepresented  the  object  of  the  gift.  Cartier  how 
ever,  took  the  children,  and  gave  Donnacona  "  two  swords  and  two  cop 
per  basins,"  for  which  he  returned  thanks,  and  "  commanded  all  his  peo 
ple  to  sing  and  dance,"  and  requested  the  captain  to  cause  a  piece  of 
artillery  to  be  discharged  for  his  gratification.  Cartier  readily  improved 
this  hint,  to  show  them  the  destructive  effects  of  European  artillery, 
and  at  a  signal,  ordered  twelve  pieces,  charged  with  ball,  to  be  fired  into  the 
contiguous  forest,  by  which  they  were  so  astounded  that  they  "  put  them 
selves  to  flight,  howling,  crying,  and  shrieking,  so  that  it  seemed  hell 
was  broke  loose." 

These  attempts  to  frustrate  the  purposed  voyage,  having  failed,  the  na 
tives  endeavoured  to  put  the  captain's  credulity  to  the  test,  and  operate 
upon  his  fears.  For  this  purpose  three  natives  were  disguised  to  play  the 
part  of  "  devils,"  wrapped  in  skins,  besmeared,  and  provided  with  horns. 
Thus  equipped  they  took  advantage  of  the  tide,  to  drop  down  along  side 
Cartier's  vessels,  uttering  words  of  unintelligible  import  as  they  passed, 
but  keeping  their  faces  steadfastly  directed  toward  the  wood.  At  the 
same  time  Donnacona,  and  his  people  rushed  out  of  the  wood  to  the 
shore, — attracting  the  attention  of  the  ships'  crews  in  various  ways,  and 
finally  seized  the  mock  "devils"  at  the  moment  of  their  landing,  and 
carried  them  into  the  woods,  where  their  revelations  were  uttered. 

The  result  of  this  clumsy  trick,  was  announced  by  Taignoagny  and 
Domaigaia,  who  said,  that  their  god  "  Cudruaigny  had  spoken  in  Hoche- 
laga" — importing  ill  tidings  to  the  French,  and  that  he  had  sent  these 
three  men  to  inform  them  that,  there  was  so  much  ice  and  snow  in  the 
country,  that  whoever  entered  it,  must  die.  After  some  interroga lives 
pro  and  con,  in  the  course  of  which  the  power  of  "  his  Priests"  was  oddly 
contrasted  by  the  French  commander  with  that  of  the  "  devils,"  both 
Taignoagny  and  Domaigaia  coincided  in  finally  declaring  that  Donna 
cona,  "  would  by  no  means  permit  that  any  of  them  should  go  with  him 
to  Hochelaga,"  unless  he  would  leave  hostages  in  his  hands. 

All  these  artifices  appear  to  have  had  but  little  effect  on  Cartier's  plan. 
He  told  his  freed  interpreters,  that  if  they  would  not  go  willingly,  they 


CARTIER'S  VOYAGES  OF  DISCOVERY.  343 

might  stay,  and  he  would  prosecute  the  voyage  without  them.  Accord 
ingly,  having  finished  mooring  his  vessels,  on  the  1 9th  September  he  set 
out  to  explore  the  upper  portions  of  the  river,  taking  hh  smallest  vessel 
and  two  boats  with  fifty  mariners,  and  the  supernumerary  gentlemen  of  his 
party.  A  voyage  of  ten  days  brought  him  to  an  expansion  of  the  river, 
which  he  named  the  lake  of  Angolesme,  but  which  is  now  known  under 
the  name  of  St.  Peter.  Here  the  shallowness  of  the  water,  and  rapidity 
of  the  current  above,  induced  him  to  leave  the  "  Hermerillon,"  and  he 
proceeded  with  the  two  boats  and  twenty-eight  armed  men.  The  fertility 
of  the  shore,  the  beauty  and  luxuriance  of  the  forest  trees,  mantled  as 
they  often  were,  with  the  vine  loaded  with  clusters  of  grapes,  the  variety 
of  water  fowl,  and  above  all  the  friendly  treatment  they  every  where  re 
ceived  from  the  Indians,  excited  unmingled  admiration.  One  of  the 
chiefs  whom  they  encountered  presented  Carder  with  two  children,  his 
son  and  daughter,  the  latter  of  whom,  being  7  or  8  years  old,  he  accepted. 
On  another  occasion  he  was  carried  ashore  by  one  of  a  party  of  hunters, 
as  "  lightly  and  easily  as  if  he  had  been  a  child  of  five  years  old." 
Presents  of  fish  were  made,  at  every  point,  where  he  came  in  contact 
with  the  natives,  who  seemed  to  vie  with  each  other  in  acts  of  hospitality. 
These  marks  of  welcome  and  respect  continued  to  be  manifested  during 
the  remainder  of  the  journey  to  Hochelaga,  where  he  arrived  on  the  2d 
of  October.  A  multitude  of  both  sexes  and  all  ages  had  collected  on  the 
shore  to  witness  his  approach,  and  welcome  his  arrival.  They  expressed 
their  joy  by  dancing,  "  clustering  about  us,  making  much  of  us,  bringing 
their  young  children  in  their  arms  only  to  have  our  captain  and  his  com 
pany  touch  them."  Carder  landed,  and  spent  half  an  hour  in  receiving 
their  caresses,  and  distributed  tin  beads  to  the  women,  and  knives  to  some 
of  the  men,  and  then  "  retured  to  the  boats  to  supper."  The  natives 
built  large  fires  on  the  beach,  and  continued  dancing,  and  merry  making 
all  night,  frequently  exclaiming  Aguiaze^  which  is  said  to  signify  "  mirth 
and  safety." 

Early  the  next  morning  Carder  having  "  very  gorgeously  attired  him 
self,"  and  taking  20  mariners^  with  his  officers  and  supernumeraries, 
landed  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  the  town,  taking  some  of  the  natives  for 
guides.  After  following  a  well  beaten  path,  leading  through  an  oak 
forest,  for  four  or  five  miles,  he  was  met  by  a  chief,  accompanied  by  a  re 
tinue,  sent  out  to  meet  him,  who  by  signs  gave  him  to  understand,  that 
he  was  desired  to  rest  at  that  spot,  where  a  fire  had  been  kindled,  a  piece 
of  civility,  which  it  may  be  supposed,  was  something  more  than  an  empty 
compliment  on  an  October  morning.  The  chief  here  made  "  a  long  dis 
course,"  which,  of  course,  was  not  understood,  but  they  inferred  it  was 
expressive  of  "  mirth  and  friendship."  In  return  Carder  gave  him  2 
hatchets,  2  knives  and  a  cross,  which  he  made  him  kiss,  and  then  put  it 
around  his  neck. 


344  CARTIER'S  VOYAGES  OF  DISCOVERY. 

This  done  the  procession  advanced,  without  further  interruption,  to  the 
"  city  of  Hoch  ^laga,"  which  is  described  as  seated  in  the  midst  of  culti 
vated  fields,  at  the  distance  of  a  league  from  the  mountain.  It  was  secured 
by  three  ramparts  "  one  within  another,"  about  2  rods  in  height,  "  cun 
ningly  joined  together  after  their  fashion,"  with  a  single  gate  "  shut  with 
piles  and  stakes  and  bars."  This  entrance,  and  other  parts  of  the  walls, 
had  platforms  above,  provided  with  stones  for  defensive  operations.  The 
ascent  to  these  platforms  was  by  ladders. 

As  the  French  approached,  great  numbers  came  out  to  meet  them. 
They  were  conducted  by  the  guides,  to  a  large  square  enclosure  in  the 
centre  of  the  town,  "  being  from  side  to  side  a  good  stone's  cast."  They 
were  first  greeted  by  the  female  part  of  the  population,  who  brought  their 
children  in  their  arms,  and  rushed  eagerly  to  touch  or  rub  the  faces  and 
arms  of  the  strangers,  or  whatever  parts  of  their  bodies  they  could  ap 
proach.  The  men  now  caused  the  females  to  retire,  and  seated  them 
selves  formally  in  circles  upon  the  ground ;  as  if,  says  the  narrator, 
"some  comedy  or  show"  was  about  to  be  rehearsed.  Mats  were  then 
brought  in  by  the  women,  and  spread  upon  the  ground,  for  the  visitors  to 
sit  upon.  Last  came  the  "  Lord  and  King"  Agouhanna,  a  palsied  old 
man,  borne  upon  the  shoulders  of  9  or  10  attendants,  sitting  on  a  "  great 
stag  skin."  They  placed  him  near  the  mats  occupied  by  Cartier  and  his 
party.  This  simple  potentate  "  was  no  whit  better  apparelled  than  any  of 
the  rest,  only  excepted,  that  he  had  a  certain  thing  made  of  the  skins 
of  hedgehogs,  like  a  red  wreath,  and  that  was  instead  of  his  crown." 

After  a  salutation,  in  which  gesticulation  awkwardly  supplied  the  place 
of  language,  the  old  chief  exhibited  his  palsied  limbs,  for  the  purpose  of 
being  touched,  by  the  supposed  celestial  visitants.  Cartier,  although  he 
appeared  to  be  a  man  of  sense  and  decision,  on  other  occasions,  was  not 
proof  against  the  homage  to  his  imputed  divinity;  but  quite  seriously  fell 
to  rubbing  the  credulous  chiefs  legs  and  arms.  For  this  act,  the  chief 
presented  him  his  fretful  "  crown."  The  blind,  lame,  and  impotent,  of 
the  town  were  now  brought  in,  and  laid  before  him,  "  some  so  old  that  the 
hair  of  their  eyelids  came  down  and  covered  their  cheeks,"  all  of  whom 
he  touched,  manifesting  his  own  seriousness  by  reading  the  Gospel  of 
St.  John,  and  "  praying  to  God  that  it  would  please  him  to  open  the 
hearts  of  this  poor  people,  and  to  make  them  know  his  holy  word,  and 
that  they  might  receive  baptism  and  Christendom."  He  then  read  a  por 
tion  of  the  catholic  service,  with  a  loud  voice,  during  which  the  natives 
were  "  marvellously  attentive,  looking  up  to  heaven  and  imitating  us  in 
gestures."  Some  presents  of  cutlery  and  trinkets  were  then  distributed, 
trumpets  sounded,  and  the  party  prepared  to  return  to  their  boats.  When 
about  to  leave  their  place,  the  women  interposed,  inviting  them  to  partake 
of  tho  victuals  they  had  prepared — a  compliment  which  was  declined, 
"because  the  meats  had  no  savour  at  all  of  salt."  They  were  followed 


345 

out  of  the  town  by  "divers  men  and  women,"  who  conducted  the  whole 
party  to  the  top  of  the  mountain,  commanding  a  wide  prospect  of  the  plain, 
the  river  and  its  islands,  and  the  distant  mountains.  Transported  with  a 
scene,  which  has  continued  to  afford  delight  to  the  visitors  of  all  after  times, 
Cartier  bestowed  the  name  of  "  Mount  Royal "  upon  this  eminence — a 
name  which  has  descended,  with  some  modifications,  to  the  modern  city. 
Having  satisfied  their  curiosity,  and  obtained  such  information  respecting 
the  adjoining  regions,  as  their  imperfect  knowledge  of  the  Indian  lan 
guage  would  permit,  they  returned  to  their  boats,  accompanied  by  a  pro 
miscuous  throng  of  the  natives. 

Thus  ended,  on  the  3rd  Oct.  1535,  the  first  formal  meeting  between  the 
French  and  the  Indians  of  the  interior  of  Canada,  or  what  now  began  to 
be  denominated  New  France.  As  respects  those  incidents  in  it,  in  which 
the  Indians  are  represented  as  looking  upon  Cartier  in  the  light  of  a 
divinity,  clothed  ^rith  power  to  heal  the  sick  and  restore  sight  to  the  blind, 
every  one  will  yield  the  degree  of  faith,  which  his  credulity  permits. 
The  whole  proceeding  bears  so  striking  a  resemblance  to  "  Christ  heal 
ing  the  sick,"  that  it  is  probable  the  narrator  drew  more  largely  upon  his 
New  Testament,  than  any  certain  knowledge  of  the  faith  and  belief  of  a 
savage  people  whose  traditions  do  not  reach  far,  and  whose  language, 
granting  the  most,  he  but  imperfectly  understood.  As  respects  the  de 
scription  of  a  city  with  triple  walls,  those  who  know  the  manner  in  which 
our  Indian  villages  are  built,  will  be  best  enabled  to  judge  how  far  the 
narrator  supplied  by  fancy,  what  was  wanting  in  fact.  A  "walled 
city"  was  somewhere  expected  to  be  found,  and  the  writer  found  no  better 
place  to  locate  it.  Cartier  no  sooner  reached  his  boats,  than  he  hoisted 
sail  and  began  his  descent,  much  to  the  disappointment  of  the  Indians. 
Favoured  by  the  wind  and  tide,  he  rejoined  his  "  Pinnace"  on  the  follow 
ing  day.  Finding  all  well,  he  continued  the  descent,  without  meeting 
much  entitled  to  notice,  and  reached  the  "  port  of  the  Holy  Cross,"  on 
the  1 1th  of  the  month..  During  his  absence  the  ships'  crews  had  erected 
a  breastwork  before  the  vessels,  and  mounted  several  pieces  of  ships'  can 
non  for  their  defence.  Donnacona  renewed  his  acquaintance  on  the  fol 
lowing  day,  attended  by  Taignoagny,  Domaiga,  and  others,  who  were 
treated  with  an  appearance  of  friendship,  which  it  could  hardly  be  ex 
pected  Cartier  could  sincerely  feel.  He,  in  return  visited  their  village 
of  Stadacona,  and  friendly  relations  being  thus  restored,  the  French  pre 
pared  for  the  approach  of  winter. 

Winter  carne  in  all  its  severity.  From  the  middle  of  Nov.  to  the 
middle  of  March,  the  vessels  were  environed  with  ice  "  two  fathoms 
thick,"  and  snow  upwards  of  four  feet  deep,  reiching  above  the  sides  of 
the  vessels.  And  the  weather  is  represented  as  being  "  extremely  raw 
and  bitter."  In  the  midst  of  this  severity,  the  crews  were  infected  with 
«*  a  strange  and  cruel  disease,"  the  natural  consequence  of  a  too  licentioui 


346  CAR-TIER'S  VOYAGES  OP  DISCOVERY. 

intercourse  with  the  native  The  virulence  of  this  disorder  exceeded 
any  thing  that  they  had  before  witnessed,  though  it  is  manifest,  from  the 
journal,  that  it  was  in  its  virulence  only,  that  the  disease  itself  presented 
any  new  features.  A  complete  prostration  of  strength  marked  its  com 
mencement,  the  legs  swelled,  the  "  sinews  shrunk  as  black  as  any  coal." 
The  infection  became  general,  and  excited  the  greatest  alarm.  Not  more 
than  10  persons  out  of  110  were  in  a  condition  to  afford  assistance  to  the 
sick  by  the  middle  of  February.  Eight  had  already  died,  and  50  were 
supposed  to  be  past  recovery. 

Cartier,  to  prevent  his  weakness  being  known,  as  well  as  to  stop  further 
infection,  interdicted  all  intercourse  with  the  natives.  He  caused  that 
"  every  one  should  devoutly  prepare  himself  by  prayer,  and  in  remem 
brance  of  Christ,  caused  his  image  to  be  set  upon  a  tree,  about  a  flight 
shot  from  the  fort,  amid  the  ice  and  snow,  giving  all  men  to  understand 
that  on  the  Sunday  following,  service  should  be  said  there,  and  that  whoso 
ever  could  go,  sick  or  whole,  should  go  thither  in  procession,  singing 
the  seven  psalms  of  David,  and  other  Litanies,  praying,  &c." 

The  disorder,  however,  continued  to  spread  till  there  were  not  "  above 
three  sound  men  in  the  ships,  and  none  was  able  to  go  under  hatches 
to  draw  drink  for  himself,  nor  for  his  fellows."  Sometimes  they  were 
constrained  to  bury  the  dead  under  the  snow,  owing  to  their  weakness 
and  the  severity  of  the  frost,  which  rendered  it  an  almost  incredible  labour 
to  penetrate  the  ground.  Every  artifice  was  resorted  to  by  Cartier,  to 
keep  the  true  state  of  his  crews  from  the  Indians,  and  he  sought  unremit 
tingly  for  a  remedy  against  the  disorder. 

In  this  his  efforts  were  at  last  crowned  with  success,  but  not  till  he  had 
lost  25  of  his  men.  By  using  a  decoction  of  the  bark  and  leaves  of  a  cer 
tain  tree,  which  is  stated  to  be  "the  Sassafras  tree,"*  the  remainder  of  his 
crews  were  completely  recovered.  The  decoction  was  drank  freely,  and 
the  dregs  applied  externally,  agreeably  to  the  directions  of  Domaigaia,  to 
whom  he  was  indebted  for  the  information,  and  who  caused  women 
to  bring  branches  of  it,  and  "  therewithal  shewed  the  way  how  to  use  it." 

The  other  incidents  of  the  winter  were  not  of  a  character  to  require  no 
tice.  Mutual  distrust  existed.  Cartier  was  in  constant  apprehension 
of  some  stratagem,  which  the  character  and  movements  of  his  savage 
neighbours  gave  some  grounds  for.  He  was  detained  at  the  bay  of  the 
^Joly  Cross  till  the  6th  May,  1536.  The  narrator  takes  the  opportunity 
of  this  long  season  of  inaction  to  give  descriptions  of  the  manners  and  cus 
toms,  ceremonies  and  occupations  of  the  Indians,  and  to  detail  the  informa 
tion  derived  from  them,  and  from  personal  observations  respecting  the  geo 
graphical  features  and  the  productions  of  the  country. 

*  As  the  tree  is  afterwards  stated  to  be  "  as  big  as  any  oak  in  France,"  it  was  proba 
bly  the  box  elder,  and  not  the  sassafras,  which  never  attained  to  much  size. 


347 


Touching  the  faith  of  the  Indians,  it  is  said,  they  believed  no  tfhit  in 
God,  but  in  one  whom  they  call  Cudruiagni,"  to  whom,  they  say,  they 
are  often  indebted  for  a  foreknowledge  of  the  weather.  And  when  he  is 
angry,  his  displeasure  is  manifested  by  casting  dust  in  their  eyes.  They 
believe  that,  after  death,  they  go  into  the  stars,  descending  by  degrees  to 
wards  the  horizon,  and  are  finally  received  into  certain  green  fields, 
abounding  in  fruits  and  flowers. 

They  are  represented  as  possessing  all  property  in  common,  and  as 
being  "indifferently  well  stored"  with  the  useful  "commodities"  of  the 
country  —  clothing  themselves  imperfectly  in  skins,  wearing  hose  and  shoes 
of  skins  in  winter,  and  going  barefooted  in  summer.  The  men  labour 
little,  and  are  much  addicted  to  smoking.  The  condition  of  the  women  is 
one  of  drudgery  and  servitude.  On  them  the  labour  of  tilling  the  grounds, 
&c.j  principally  devolves.  The  young  women  live  a  dissolute  life,  until 
marriage,  and  married  women,  after  the  death  of  their  husbands,  are  con 
demned  to  a  state  of  perpetual  widowhood.  Polygamy  is  tolerated.  Both 
sexes  are  represented  as  very  hardy,  and  capable  of  enduring  the  most  in* 
tense  degree  of  cold.  In  this  there  is  little  to  distinguish  the  native 
of  1536  from  that  of  the  present  day,  if  we  substitute  the  blanket  for  the 
muttatos*  and  except  the  remark  respecting  the  condition  of  widows,  the 
accuracy  of  which,  as  it  was  made  upon  slight  acquaintance,  may  be  rea 
sonably  doubted.  It  may  also  be  remarked,  that  the  condition  of  young 
women,  as  described  by  Cartier,  was  more  degraded  and  vitiated  than  it  is 
now  known  to  be  among  any  of  the  North  American  tribes. 

The  geographical  information  recorded  respecting  the  St.  Lawrence 
and  its  tributaries  is  generally  vague  and  confused.  But  may  be  referred 
to  as  containing  the  first  notice  published  by  the  French  of  the  Great 
Lakes.  Cartier  was  told  by  Donnacona  and  others  that  the  river  origi 
nated  so  far  in  the  interior,  that  "  there  was  never  man  heard  of  that  found 
out  the  end  thereof,"  that  it  passed  through  "  two  or  three  great  lakes,"  and 
that  there  is  "  a  sea  of  fresh  water,"  alluding,  probably,  to  Superior. 

At  what  time  the  ice  broke  up,  is  not  distinctly  told.  It  is  stated  that 
"that  year  the  winter  was  very  long,"  and  a  scarcity  of  food  was  felt 
among  the  Indians,  so  much  so,  that  they  put  a  high  price  upon  their  ven 
ison,  &c.,  and  sometimes  took  it  back  to  their  camps,  rather  than  part  with 
it  "  any  thing  cheap."  Donnacona  and  many  of  his  people  withdrew 
themselves  to  their  hunting  grounds,  under  a  pretence  of  being  absent 
a  fortnight,  but  were  absent  two  months.  Cartier  attributed  this  long 
absence  to  a  design  of  raising  the  country,  and  attacking  him  in  his  fortified 
positions  —  a  design  which  no  cordiality  of  friendship  on  the  part  of  D. 
would  prevent  his  entertaining,  and  which  the  latter  gave  some  colour  to 

*  Roue  of  beaver  skins.     Eight  skins  of  two  year  old  beaver  are  requ'red  to  mak 
such  a  robe. 


348 

by  neglecting  to  visit  Cartier  on  his  return  with  great  numbers  of  natives 
not  before  seen,  and  by  evading  the  attempts  made  to  renew  an  intercourse, 
by  feigning  sickness  as  the  cause  of  his  neglect.  Cartier  felt  his  own 
weakness,  from  the  death  of  so  many  of  his  crew  and  the  sickness  of  others, 
and  has  recorded  for  his  government  on  this  occasion  the  proverb,  that 
"  he  that  takes  heed  and  shields  himself  from  all  men,  may  hope  to  escape 
from  some."  He  determined  to  abandon  one  of  his  vessels,  that  he  might 
completely  man  and  re-fit  the  others,  and  appears  to  have  been  diligent  in 
making  early  preparations  to  return.  While  thus  engaged,  Donnacona 
(April  22,)  appeared  with  a  great  number  of  men  at  Stadacona,  and  John 
Powlet,  "  who  being  best  believed  of  those  people,"  he  sent  to  reconnoitre 
them  in  their  principal  villages,  reported  that  he  saw  so  many  people,  that 
"  one  could  not  stir  for  another,  and  such  men  as  they  were  never  wont  to 
see."  Taignoagny,  whom  he  saw  on  this  occasion,  requested  him  to  be 
seech  Cartier  to  take  off  "  a  lord  of  the  country,"  called  Agonna,  who 
probably  stood  in  the  way  of  his  own  advancement.  Cartier  availed  him 
self  of  this  request  to  bring  on  an  interview  with  Taignoagny,  and  by  flat 
tering  his  hopes,  finally  succeeded  in  the  execution  of  a  project  he  appears 
to  have  previously  entertained.  This  was  nothing  less  than  the  seizure 
of  Donnacona,  Taignoagny,  Domaigaia,  (his  previous  captives,)  and  "two 
more  of  the  chiefest  men,"  whom,  with  the  children  before  received,  mak 
ing  ten  persons  in  all,  he  conveyed  to  France. 

This  seizure  was  made  on  the  3d  of  May,  being  "  Holyrood  day,"  at  a 
time  when  Cartier  had  completed  his  preparations  for  sailing.  He  took 
formal  possession  of  the  country,  under  the  name  of  New  France,  by 
erecting  a  cross  "thirty-five  feet  in  height,"  bearing  a  shield  with  the  arms 
of  France,  and  the  following  inscription  : 

"  Franciscus  primum  dei  gratia  Francorum  Rex  regnat," 

a  sentence  upon  which  this  unjustifiable  outrage  formed  a  practical  com 
ment.  Three  days  afterwards  he  sailed  from  the  port  of  the  Holy  Cross, 
leaving  crowds  of  the  natives  to  bewail  the  loss  of  their  chiefs.  And 
whose  kindness  led  them  to  send  on  board  a  supply  of  provisions,  when 
they  found  they  could  not  effect  their  liberation.  Finding  the  current  of 
the  St.  Lawrence  much  swoln,  he  came  to  anchor  at  the  isle  of  Filberds, 
near  the  entrance  of  the  Sagnenay.  where  he  was  detained  nine  days.  In 
the  meantime  many  of  the  natives  of  Sagnenay  visited  the  ships,  and  find 
ing  Donnacona  a  prisoner,  they  presented  him  three  packs  of  beaver.  Or 
the  17th  May,  he  made  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  proceed,  but  was  forced 
back  and  detained  four  days  longer,  waiting  "till  the  fierceness  of  the  wa 
ters"  were  past.  He  entered  and  passed  out  of  the  gulph  on  the  21st,  but 
encountering  adverse  winds,  did  not  take  his  final  departure  from  the  New 
foundland  coast  till  the  19th  June.  He  then  took  advantage  of  a  favorable 


CARTIERS    VINTAGES    OF    DISCOVERY.  349 

wind,  and  performed  the  homoward  voyage  in  17  clays.  He  entered  the 
port  of  St.  Malo,  July  6,  1536,  naving  been  absent  less  than  14  months,  8 
of  which  had  been  passed  in  the  St.  Lawrence. 


THIRD   VOYAGE. 


THE  reports  and  discoveries  of  Cartier  were  so  well  received  by  the 
King  of  France  (Francis  I.),  that  he  determined  to  colonize  the  newly 
discovered  country,  and  named  John  Francis  de  la  Roche,  Lord  of  Rob- 
erval,  his  "  Lieutenant  and  Governor  in  the  countries  of  Canada  and 
Hochelaga."  Cartier  retained  his  former  situation  as  "  Captain  General 
and  leader  of  the  ships,"  and  to  him  was  entrusted  the  further  prosecution 
of  discoveries.  Five  vessels  were  ordered  to  be  prepared  at  St.  Malo,  and 
measures  appear  to  have  been  taken  to  carry  out  settlers,  cattle,  seeds, 
and  agricultural  implements.  Much  delay,  however,  seems  to  have 
attended  the  preparations,  and  before  they  were  completed,  Donnacona 
and  his  companions,  who  had  been  baptized,  paid  the  debt  of  nature.  A 
little  girl,  ten  years  old,  was  the  only  person  surviving  out  of  the  whole 
number  of  captives. 

It  is  seldom  that  a  perfect  harmony  has  prevailed  between  the  leaders 
of  naval  and  land  forces,  in  the  execution  of  great  enterprises.  And 
though  but  little  is  said  to  guide  the  reader  in  forming  a  satisfactory  opi 
nion  on  the  subject,  the  result  in  this  instance  proved  that  there  was  a 
settled  dissatisfaction  in  the  mind  of  Cartier  respecting  the  general  ar 
rangements  for  the  contemplated  voyage.  Whether  he  thought  himself 
neglected  in  not  being  invested  with  the  government  of  the  country  he 
had  discovered,  or  felt  unwilling  that  another  should  share  in  the  honors 
of  future  discoveries,  cannot  now  be  determined.  It  should  be  recollected 
that  the  conquest  of  Mexico  had  then  but  recently  been  accomplished 
(1520),  and  it  is  not  improbable  that  Cartier,  who  had  taken  some  pains 
to  exalt  Donnacona  into  another  Montezuma,  thought  himself  entitled 
to  receive  from  Francis,  rewards  and  emoluments  in  some  measure  cor 
responding  to  those  which  his  great  rival,  Charles,  had  finally  bestowed 
upon  Cortez. 

Whatever  were  the  causes,  four  years  elapsed  before  the  ships  were 
prepared,  and  M.  La  Roche,  on  visiting  the  vessels  in  the  road  of  St. 
Malo,  ready  for  sea,  then  informed  Cartier  that  his  artillery,  munitions, 
and  "  other  necessary  things"  which  he  had  prepared,  were  not  yet  arriv 
ed  from  Champaigne  and  Normandy.  Cartier,  in  the  meantime,  had 
received  positive  orders  from  the  King  to  set  sail.  In  this  exigency,  it 
was  determined  that  Cartier  should  proceed,  while  the  King's  Lieuten 
ant  should  remain  "  to  prepare  a  ship  or  two  at  Honfleur,  whither  he 
thought  his  things  were  come." 

This  arrangement  concluded,  La  Roche  invested  Cartier  with  full 


350  CARTIER'S  VOYAGES  OF  DISCOVERY. 

powers  to  act  until  his  arrival,  and  the  latter  set  sail  with  five  ships, 
"  well  furnished  and  victualled  for  two  years,"  on  the  23d  of  May,  1540. 
Storms  and  contrary  winds  attended  the  passage.  The  ships  parted  com 
pany,  and  were  kept  so  long  at  sea,  that  they  were  compelled  to  water 
the  cattle,  &c.,  they  took  out  for  breed,  with  cider.  At  length,  the  ves 
sels  re-assembled  in  the  harbor  of  Carpunt  in  Newfoundland,  and  after 
taking  in  wood  and  water,  proceeded  on  the  voyage,  Cartier  not  deem 
ing  it  advisable  to  wait  longer  for  the  coming  of  La  Roche.  He  reached 
the  little  haven  of  Saincte  Croix  (where  he  wintered  in  the  former  voy 
age),  on  the  23d  of  August.  His  arrival  was  welcomed  by  the  natives, 
who  crowded  around  his  vessels,  with  Agona  at  their  head,  making 
inquiries  after  Donnacona  and  his  companions  in  captivity.  Cartier 
replied,  that  Donnacona  was  dead,  and  his  bones  rested  in  the  ground 
— that  the  other  persons  had  become  great  lords,  and  were  married,  and 
settled  in  France.  No  displeasure  was  evinced  by  the  intelligence  of 
Donnacona's  death.  Agona,  on  the  contrary,  seemed  to  be  well  pleased 
with  it,  probably,  as  the  journalist  thinks,  because  it  left  him  to  rule  in  his 
stead.  He  took  off  his  head-dress  and  bracelets,  both  being  of  yellow 
leather  edged  with  wampum,  and  presented  them  to  Cartier.  The  lat 
ter  made  a  suitable  return  to  him  and  his  attendants  in  small  presents, 
intimating  that  he  had  brought  many  new  things,  which  were  intended 
for  them.  He  returned  the  chieftain's  simple  "  crown."  They  then 
ate,  drank,  and  departed. 

Having  thus  formally  renewed  intercourse  with  the  natives,  Cartier 
sent  his  boats  to  explore  a  more  suitable  harbor  and  place  of  landing. 
They  reported  in  favor  of  a  small  river,  about  four  leagues  above,  where 
the  vessels  were  accordingly  moored,  and  their  cargoes  discharged.  Of 
the  spot  thus  selected  for  a  fort  and  harbor,  as  it  was  destined  afterwards 
to  become  celebrated  in  the  history  of  Canada,  it  may  be  proper  to  give 
a  more  detailed  notice  of  Carrier's  original  description.  The  river  is 
stated  to  be  fifty  paces  broad,  having  three  fathoms  water  at  full  tide, 
and  but  a  foot  at  the  ebb,  having  its  entrance  towards  the  south,  and  its 
course  very  serpentine.  The  beauty  and  fertility  of  the  lands  bordering 
it,  the  vigorous  growth  of  trees,  and  the  rapidity  of  vegetation,  are  highly 
and  (I  believe)  very  justly  extolled.  Near  it,  there  is  said  to  be  "a  high 
and  steep  cliff,"  which  it  was  necessary  to  ascend  by  "  a  way  in  manner 
of  a  pair  of  stairs,"  and  below  it,  and  between  it  and  the  river,  an  inter 
val  sufficiently  extensive  to  accommodate  a  fort.  A  work  of  defence 
was  also  built  upon  the  cliff,  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  the  "  nether 
fort  and  the  ships,  and  all  things  that  might  pass,  as  well  by  the  great,  as 
by  this  small  river."  Upon  the  cliff  a  spring  of  pure  water  was  discov 
ered  near  the  fort,  "  adjoining  whereunto,"  says  the  narrator,  "  we  found 
good  store  of  stones,  which  we  esteemed  to  the  diamonds"  (limpid 
quartz V  At  the  foot  of  the  cliff,  facing  the  St.  Lawrence,  they  found 


35 

iron,  and  at  the  water's  edge  "  certain  leaves  of  fine  gold  (mica)  as  thick 
&s  u  man's  nail." 

The.  ground  was  so  favorable  for  tillage,  that  twenty  men  labored  at 
an  acre  and  a  half  in  one  day.  Cabbage,  turnip,  and  lettuce  seed,  sprung 
up  the  eighth  day.  A  luxurious  meadow  was  found  along  the  river,  and 
the  woods  were  clustered  with  a  species  of  the  native  grape.  Such  were 
the  natural  appearance  and  advantages  of  a  spot  which  was  destined  to 
be  the  future  site  of  the  city  and  fortress  of  Quebec,*  "  but  to  which 
he  gave  the  name  of l  Charlesbourg  Royal.' ' 

Cartier  lost  no  time  in  despatching  two  of  his  vessels  to  France,  under 
command  of  Mace  Jollobert  and  Stephen  Noel,  his  brother-in-law  and 
nephew,  with  letters  to  the  king,  containing  an  account  of  his  voyage 
and  proceedings,  accompanied  with  specimens  of  the  mineral  treasures  he 
supposed  himself  to  have  discovered ;  and  taking  care  to  add  "  how 
Mons.  Roberval  had  not  yet  come,  and  that  he  feared  that  by  occasion 
of  contrary  winds  and  tempests,  he  was  driven  back  again  into  France." 
These  vessels  left  the  newly  discovered  town  and  fort  of  "  Charlesbourg 
Royal"  on  the  2d  of  September.  And  they  were  no  sooner  despatched, 
than  Cartier  determined  to  explore  the  "  Saults"  or  rapids  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  which  had  been  described  to  him,  and  partly  pointed  out,  dur 
ing  his  ascent  to  the  mountain  of  Montreal.  Leaving  the  fort  under  the 
command  of  the  Viscount  Beaupre,  he  embarked  in  two  boats  on  the  7th 
of  September,  accompanied  by  Martine  de  Painpont  and  other  "  gentle 
men,"  with  a  suitable  complement  of  mariners.  The  only  incident  re 
corded  of  the  passage  up,  is  his  visit  to  "  the  Lord  of  Hochelay" — a  chief 
who  had  presented  him  a  little  girl,  on  his  former  visit,  and  evinced  a 
friendship  during  his  stay  in  the  river,  which  he  was  now  anxious  to 
show  that  he  preserved  the  recollection  of.  He  presented  the  chief  a 
cloak  "  of  Paris  red,"  garnished  with  buttons  and  bells,  with  two  basins 
of  "  Laton"  (pewter),  and  some  knives  and  hatchets.  He  also  left  with 
this  chief  two  boys  to  acquire  the  Indian  language. 

Continuing  the  ascent,  he  reached  the  lower  "  Sault"  on  the  llth  of 
the  month,  and,  on  trial,  found  it  impossible  to  ascend  it  with  the  force 
of  oars.  He  determined  to  proceed  by  land,  and  found  a  well-beaten 
path  leading  in  the  desired  course.  This  path  soon  conducted  him  to  an 
Indian  village,  where  he  was  well  received,  and  furnished  with  guides 
to  visit  the  second  "  Sault."  Here  he  was  informed  that  there  was 
another  Sault  at  some  distance,  and  that  the  river  was  not  navigable — a 
piece  of  information  that  meant  either  that  it  was  not  navigable  by  the 
craft  Cartier  had  entered  the  river  with,  or  was  intended  to  repress  his 
further  advance  into  the  country.  The  day  being  far  spent,  he  returned 
to  his  boats,  where  four  hundred  natives  awaited  his  arrival.  He  ap- 

*  Query — Is  not  the  word  'Quebec  a  derivative  from  the  Algonquin  phrase  .KeWe— - 
a  term  uttered  in  passing  by  a  dangerous  and  rocky  coast  ? 


352  CARTIER'S  VOYAGES  OF  DISCOVERY. 

peased  their  curiosity  ?/  by  interchanging  civilities,  and  distributing  small 
presents,  and  made  all  speed  to  return  to  Charlesbourg  Royal,  where  he 
learned  that  the  natives,  alarmed  by  the  formidable  defences  going  on, 
had  intermitted  their  customary  visits,  and  evinced  signs  of  hostility 
This  inference  was  confirmed  by  his  own  observations  on  the  downward 
passage,  and  he  determined  to  use  the  utmost  diligence  and  precaution 
to  sustain  himself  in  his  new  position. 

The  rest  of  this  voyage  is  wanting.  Hackluyt  has,  however,  pre 
served  two  letters  of  Jacques  Noel,  a  relative  of  Cartier,  written  at  St 
Malo  in  1587,  with  the  observations  of  latitude,  courses,  and  distances, 
made  by  "  John  Alphonso  of  Xanctoigne,"  who  carried  out  La  Roche, 
Lord  of  Roberval,  to  Canada,  in  1542,  and  a  fragment  of  Roberval's  nar 
rative,  which  indicated  the  sequel  of  Carder's  third  and  last  voyage. 
From  the  latter,  it  appears  that  Roberval  entered  the  harbor  of  Belle 
Isle  in  Newfoundland,  on  the  8th  of  June,  1542,  on  his  way  to  Canada; 
and  while  there,  Cartier  unexpectedly  entered  the  same  harbor,  on  his 
return  to  France.  He  reported  that  he  was  unable  "  with  his  small 
company"  to  maintain  a  footing  in  the  country,  owing  to  the  incessant 
hostility  of  the  natives,  and  had  resolved  to  return  to  France.  He  pre 
sented  the  limpid  quartz,  and  gold  yellow  mica,  which  he  had  carefully 
cherished,  under  a  belief  that  he  had  discovered  in  these  resplendent 
minerals,  the  repositories  of  gold  and  diamonds.  An  experiment  was 
made  the  next  day,  upon  what  is  denominated  "  gold  ore,"  by  which 
term  the  journalist  does  not  probably  refer  to  the  "  mica,"  considered, 
in  an  age  in  which  mineralogy  had  not  assumed  the  rank  of  a  science,  as 
"  leaves  of  gold,"  but  to  pieces  of  yellow  pyrites  of  iron,  which  it  is  men 
tioned  in  the. description  of  the  environs  of  *'  Charlesbourg  Royal"  Cartier 
had  discovered  in  the  slate  rock.  And  the  ore  was  pronounced  "  good" 
— a  proof  either  of  gross  deception,  or  gross  ignorance  in  the  experi 
menter.  Cartier  spoke  highly  of  the  advantages  the  country  presented 
for  settlement,  in  point  of  fertility.  He  had,  however,  determined  to 
leave  it.  He  disobeyed  RobervaPs  order  to  return,  and  "  both  he  and 
his  company"  secretly  left  the  harbor,  and  made  the  best  of  their  way  to 
France,  being  "  moved,"  as  the  journalist  adds,  "  with  ambition,  be 
cause  they  would  have  all  the  glory  of  the  discovery  of  these  parts  to 
themselves." 

January  21st,  1829. 


THE    INFLUENCE    OF    ARDENT    SPIRITS.  353 

THE  INFLUENCE   OF  ARDENT  SPIRITS  ON  THE  CONDI- 
TION  OF  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 

AN    ADDRESS    BEAD    BEFORE    THE    CHIPPEWA    COUNTY    TEMPERANCE    SOCIETY,    AT 
SAULT    STE-MARIE,   MAY  8th,  1832. 

THE  effects  of  intemperance  on  the  character  of  nations  and  individu 
als  have  been  often  depicted,  within  a  few  years,  in  faithful  colors,  and 
by  gifted  minds.  "  Thoughts  that  breathe  and  words  that  burn"  were 
once  supposed  to  be  confined,  exclusively,  to  give  melody  to  the  lyre, 
and  life  to  the  canvass.  But  the  conceptions  of  modern  benevolence 
have  dispelled  the  illusion,  and  taught  us  that  genius  has  no  higher  ob 
jects  than  the  promotion  of  the  greatest  amount  of  good  to  man — that 
these  objects  come  home  to  the  "  business  and  bosoms"  of  men  in  their 
every  day  avocations — that  they  lie  level  to  every  capacity,  and  never 
assume  so  exalted  a  character,  as  when  they  are  directed  to  increase  the 
sum  of  domestic  happiness  and  fireside  enjoyment — 

"  To  mend  the  morals  and  improve  the  heart." 

It  is  this  consideration  that  gives  to  the  temperance  effort  in  our  day, 
a  refined  and  expansive  character — 

"  Above  all  Greek,  above  all  Roman  fame"— 

which  has  enlisted  in  its  cause  sound  heads  and  glowing  hearts,  in  all 
parts  of  our  country — which  is  daily  augmenting  the  sphere  of  its  influ 
ence,  and  which  has  already  carried  its  precepts  and  examples  from  the 
little  sea-board  village,*  where  it  originated,  to  the  foot  of  Lake  Superior. 
And  I  have  now  the  pleasure  of  seeing  before  me  a  society,  assembled  on 
their  first  public  meeting,  who  have  "  banded  together,"  not  with  such 
mistaken  zeal  as  dictated  the  killing  of  Paul,  or  assassinating  Caesar,  but 
for  giving  their  aid  in  staying  the  tide  of  intemperance  which  has  been 
rolling  westward  for  more  than  three  centuries,  sweeping  away  thou 
sands  of  white  and  red  men  in  its  course — which  has  grown  with  the 
growth  of  the  nation,  and  strengthened  with  its  strength,  and  which 
threatens  with  an  overwhelming  moral  desolation  all  who  do  not  adopt 
the  rigid  maxim — 

"  Touch  not,  taste  not,  handle  not." 

The  British  critic  of  the  last  century  little  thought,  while  moralizing 
upon  some  of  the  weaknesses  of  individual  genius,  that  he  was  uttering 
maxims  which  would  encourage  the  exertions  of  voluntary  associations 
of  men  to  put  a  stop  to  intemperance.  It  was  as  true  then  as  now,  that 
11  in  the  bottle,  discontent  seeks  for  comfort,  cowardice  for  courage,  and 
bashfulness  for  confidence."  It  was  as  true  then,  as  now,  that  the  "  neg- 

*  Andover. 
23 


354  THE    INFLUENCE    OF    ARDENT    SPIRITS 

ligence  and  irregularity"  which  are  the  fruits  of  this  habit, "  if  long  con 
tinued,  will  render  knowledge  useless,  wit  ridiculous,  and  genius  con 
temptible."  "Who,"  he  exclaims,  "that  ever  asked  succors  from 
Bacchus,  was  able  to  preserve  himself  from  being  enslaved  by  his  aux 
iliary  ?"*  And  is  there  a  species  of  servitude  more  pernicious  in  its  in 
fluence,  more  degrading  in  its  character,  more  destructive  of  all  physical 
and  intellectual  power,  than  the  slavery  of  inebriation  1  The  rage  of 
the  conflagration — the  devastation  of  the  flood — the  fury  of  the  tempest, 
are  emblematic  of  the  moral  fury  of  the  mind  under  the  influence  of 
alcohol.  It  is  equally  ungovernable  in  its  power,  and  destructive  in  its 
effects.  But  its  devastations  are  more  to  be  deplored,  because  they  are 
the  devastations  of  human  faculties — of  intellectual  power — of  animal 
energy — of  moral  dignity — of  social  happiness — of  temporal  health — of 
eternal  felicity. 

Intemperance  is  emphatically  the  parent  of  disease,  mental  and  phy 
sical.  Its  direct  effects  are  to  blunt  the  faculty  of  correct  thinking,  and 
to  paralyze  the  power  of  vigorous  action.  Nothing  more  effectually 
takes  away  from  the  human  mind,  its  ordinary  practical  powers  of  dis 
crimination  and  decision,  without  which  man  is  like  a  leaf  upon  the  tem 
pest,  or  the  chaff  before  the  wind.  Dr.  Darwin  has  aptly  compared  the 
effects  of  spirituous  liquors  upon  the  lungs  to  the  ancient  fable  of  Pro 
metheus  stealing  fire  from  heaven,  who  was  punished  for  the  theft  by 
a  vulture  gnawing  on  the  liver."j"  A  striking  allegory  :  but  one  which  is 
not  inaptly  applied  to  characterize  the  painful  and  acute  diseases  which 
are  visited  upon  the  inebriate.  Dr.  Rush  was  an  early  advocate  of  the 
cause.  He  likened  the  effects  of  the  various  degrees  of  alcohol,  in  spir 
ituous  drinks,  to  the  artificial  mensuration  of  heat  by  the  thermometer, 
and  took  a  decided  stand  in  pointing  out  its  poisonous  effects  upon  the 
system,  in  the  generation  of  a  numerous  class  of  diseases,  acute  and 
chronic. 

If  unhealthy  food  had  been  the  cause  of  such  disorders,  the  article 
would  be  rigidly  shunned.  No  man  would  choose  to  eat  twice  of  the 
cicuta  ;  to  use  bread  having  a  portion  of  lime  in  it ;  or  to  drink  frequently 
of  a  preparation  of  sugar  of  lead.  Even  the  intemperate  would  fear  to 
drink  of  alcohol,  in  its  state  of  chemical  purity,  for  its  effects  would  cer 
tainly  be  to  arrest  the  functions  of  life.  Yet  he  will  drink  of  this  pow 
erful  drug,  if  diluted  with  acids,  saccharine  and  coloring  matter,  water 
and  various  impurities,  under  the  disguised  names  of  wine,  brandy,  rum, 
malt  liquors,  whisky,  cordials,  and  mixed  potations,  which  all  tend  to 
pamper  the  natural  depravity  of  the  human  heart,  and  poison  its  powers 
of  healthful  action. 

Alcohol  is  one  of  the  preparations  which  were  brought  to  light  in  the 

*  Dr.  Johnson.  t  Zoonomia. 


ON    THE    INDIAN    RACE.  355 

age  of  the  Alchemysts — when  the  human  mind  had  run  mad  in  a  philo 
sophic  research  after  two  substances  which  were  not  found  in  nature — the 
philosophers  stone,  and  the  universal  panacea.  One,  it  was  believed, 
was  to  transmute  all  substances  it  touched  into  gold,  and  the  other,  to  cure 
all  diseases.  The  two  great  desires  of  the  world — wealth  and  long  life, 
were  thus  to  be  secured  in  a  way  which  Moses  and  the  Prophets  had 
never  declared.  A  degree  of  patient  ascetic  research  was  devoted  to  the 
investigation  of  natural  phenomena,  which  the  world  had  not  before  wit 
nessed  ;  and  modern  science  is  indebted  to  the  mistaken  labors  of  this 
race  of  chemical  monks,  for  many  valuable  discoveries,  which  were,  for 
the  most  part,  stumbled  on.  So  far  as  relates  to  the  discovery  of  the 
alcoholic  principle  of  grains,  a  singular  reversal  of  their  high  anticipa 
tions  has  ensued.  They  sought  for  a  substance  to  enrich  mankind,  but 
found  a  substance  to  impoverish  them  :  they  sought  a  power  to  cure  all 
diseases,  but  they  found  one  to  cause  them.  Alcohol  is  thus  invested 
with  great  talismanic  power  :  and  this  power  is  not  to  create,  but  to 
destroy— not  to  elevate,  but  to  prostrate — not  to  impart  life,  but  death. 

How  extensive  its  uses  are,  as  a  re-agent  and  solvent,  in  medicine  and 
the  arts — or  if  its  place  could  be  supplied,  in  any  instances,  by  other  sub 
stances — are  questions  to  be  answered  by  physicians  and  chemists.  But 
admitting,  what  is  probable  to  my  own  mind,  that  its  properties  and  uses 
in  pharmacy  and  the  arts  are  indispensable  in  several  operations,  in  the 
present  state  of  our  knowledge — does  this  furnish  a  just  plea  for  its  ordi 
nary  use,  as  a  beverage,  in  a  state  of  health  ]  No  more  than  it  would, 
that  because  the  lancet  and  the  probe  are  useful  in  a  state  of  disease, 
they  should  be  continued  in  a  state  of  health.  And  do  not  every  class 
of  men  who  continue  the  use  of  ardent  spirits,  waste  their  blood  by  a  diur 
nal  exhaustion  of  its  strength  and  healthy  properties,  more  injurious  than 
a  daily  depletion  ;  and  probe  their  flesh  with  a  fluid  too  subtle  for  the 
physician  to  extract  ? 

The  transition  from  temperate  to  intemperate  drinking,  is  very  easy. 
And  those  who  advocate,  the  moderate  use  of  distilled  spirits  are  indeed 
the  real  advocates  of  intemperance.  No  man  ever  existed,  perhaps,  who 
thought  himself  in  danger  of  being  enslaved  by  a  practice,  which  he,  at 
first ,  indulged  in  moderation.  A  habit  of  relying  upon  it  is  imperceptibly 
formed.  Nature  is  soon  led  to  expect  the  adventitious  aid,  as  a  hale 
man,  accustomed  to  wear  a  staff,  may  imagine  he  cannot  do  without  it, 
until  he  has  thrown  it  aside.  If  it  communicates  a  partial  energy,  it  is 
the  energy  of  a  convulsion.  Its  joy  is  a  phrenzy.  Its  hope  is  a  phan 
tom.  And  all  its  exhibitions  of  changing  passion,  so  many  melancholy 
proofs  of 

"  the  reasonable  soul  run  mad." 
Angelic  beings  are  probably  exalted  above  all  human  weaknesses. — 


356  THE    INFLUENCE    OF     iBDKN'J     SMKiTS 

But  if  there  be  anything  in  their  survey  of  our  actions  which  causes 
them  to  weep,  it  is  the  sight  of  a  drunken  father  in  the  domestic  circle. 
Instructed  reason,  and  sound  piety,  have  united  their  voices  in  decry 
ing  the  evils  of  intemperance.  Physicians  have  described  its  effects  in 
deranging  the  absorbent  vessels  of  the  stomach,  and  changing  the  heal 
thy  organization  of  the  system.  Moralists  have  portrayed  its  fatal  influ 
ence  on  the  intellectual  faculties.  Divines  have  pointed  out  its  destruc 
tive  powers  on  the  soul.  Poetry,  philosophy  and  science,  have  mourned 
the  numbers  who  have  been  cut  down  by  it.  Common  sense  has  raised 
up  its  voice  against  it.  It  is  indeed — 

" a  monster  of  so  frightful  mien, 

That  to  be  hated,  needs  but  to  be  seen." 

Like  the  genie  of  Arabic  fable,  it  has  risen  up,  where  it  was  least 
expected,  and  stalked  through  the  most  secret  and  the  most  public 
apartments.  And  wherever  it  has  appeared,  it  has  prostrated  the  human 
mind.  It  has  silenced  the  voice  of  eloquence  in  the  halls  of  justice  and 
legislation.  It  has  absorbed  the  brain  of  the  scientific  lecturer.  It  has 
caused  the  sword  to  drop  from  the  hand  of  the  military  leader.  It  has 
stupefied  the  author  in  his  study,  and  the  pastor  in  his  desk.  It  has 
made  the  wife  a  widow  in  her  youth,  and  caused  the  innocent  child  to 
weep  upon  a  father's  grave.  We  dare  not  look  beyond  it.  Hope,  who 
has  attended  the  victim  of  intemperance  through  all  the  changes  of  his 
downward  fortune,  and  not  forsaken  him  in  any  other  exigency,  has 
forsaken  here.  Earth  had  its  vanities  to  solace  him,  but  eternity  has 
none. 

"  Wounds  of  the  heart — care,  disappointment,  loss, 
Love,  joy,  and  friendship's  fame,  and  fortune's  cross, 
The  wound  that  mars  the  flesh — the  instant  pain 
That  racks  the  palsied  limb,  or  fever'd  brain, 
All — all  the  woes  that  life  can  feel  or  miss, 
All  have  their  hopes,  cures,  palliatives,  but  this — 
This  only — mortal  canker  of  the  mind, 
Grim  Belial's  last  attempt  on  human  kind." 

If  such,  then,  are  the  effects  of  ardent  spirits  upon  the  condition  of  civi 
lized  man,  who  has  the  precepts  of  instructed  reason  to  enlighten  him, 
and  the  consolations  of  Christianity  to  support  him,  what  must  be  the 
influence  of  intemperate  habits  upon  the  aboriginal  tribes  ?  I  propose 
to  offer  a  few  considerations  upon  this  subject.  And  in  so  doing  I  dis 
claim  all  intention  of  imputing  to  one  nation  of  the  European  stock,  more 
than  the  other,  the  national  crime  of  having  introduced  ardent  spirits 
among  the  American  Indians.  Spaniards,  Portuguese,  Swedes,  Dutch, 
Italians,  Russians,  Germans,  French  and  English,  all  come  in  for  a  share 
of  the  obloquy.  They  each  brought  ardent  spirits  to  the  New  World — 
a  proof,  it  may  be  inferred,  of  their  general  use,  as  a  drink  in  Europe,  at 
the  era  of  the  discovery.  Whatever  other  articles  the  first  adventurers 
took  to  operate  upon  the  hop^s  and  fears  of  the  new  found  people,  distilled 


ON    THE    INDIAN    RACE.  357 

or  fermented  liquor  appears  to  have  been,  in  no  instance,  overlooked  or  for 
gotten.  It  would  be  easy  to  show  the  use  made  of  them  in  the  West  In 
dies,  and  in  the  southern  part  of  our  hemisphere.  But  our  object  is  con 
fined  to  the  colonies  planted  in  the  North.  And  in  this  portion  of  the 
continent  the  English  and  French  have  been  the  predominating  powers. 
It  had  been  well,  if  they  had  predominated  in  everything  else — if  they 
had  only  been  rivals  for  courage,  wisdom  and  dominion.  If  they  had 
only  fought  to  acquire  civil  power — conquered  to  spread  Christianity — 
negotiated  to  perpetuate  peace.  But  we  have  too  many  facts  on  record 
to  show,  that  they  were  also  rivals  in  spreading  the  reign  of  intempe 
rance  among  the  Indians  ;  in  gleaning,  with  avaricious  hand,  the  furs  from 
their  lodges  ;  in  stimulating  them  to  fight  in  their  battles,  and  in  leaving 
them  to  their  own  fate,  when  the  battles  were  ended. 

Nor  do  we,  as  Americans,  affect  to  have  suddenly  succeeded  to  a  better 
state  of  feelings  respecting  the  natives  than  our  English  ancestry  pos 
sessed.  They  were  men  of  sterling  enterprise  ;  of  undaunted  resolution ; 
of  high  sentiments  of  religious  and  political  liberty.  And  we  owe  to  them 
and  to  the  peculiar  circumstances  in  which  Providence  placed  us,  all  that 
we  are,  as  a  free  and  a  prosperous  people.  But  while  they  bequeathed  to 
us  these  sentiments  as  the  preparatives  of  our  own  national  destiny,  they 
also  bequeathed  to  us  their  peculiar  opinions  respecting  the  Indian  tribes. 
And  these  opinions  have  been  cherished  with  obstinacy,  even  down  to 
our  own  times.  The  noble  sentiments  of  benevolence  of  the  19th  century 
had  not  dawned,  when  we  assumed  our  station  in  the  family  of  nations. 
If  they  were  felt  by  gifted  individuals,  they  were  not  felt  by  the  body  of 
the  nation.  Other  duties — the  imperious  duties  of  self-existence,  national 
poverty,  wasted  resources,  a  doubtful  public  credit,  a  feeble  population, 
harassing  frontier  wars,  pressed  heavily  upon  us.  But  we  have  seen 
all  these  causes  of  national  depression  passing  away,  in  less  than  half  a 
century.  With  them,  it  may  be  hoped,  have  passed  away,  every  obsta 
cle  to  the  exercise  of  the  most  enlarged  charity,  and  enlightened  philan 
thropy,  respecting  the  native  tribes. 

Nationality  is  sometimes  as  well  characterized  by  small  as  by  great 
things — by  names,  as  by  customs.  And  this  may  be  observed  in  the 
treatment  of  the  Indians,  so  far  as  respects  the  subject  of  ardent  spir 
its.  Under  the  French  government  they  were  liberally  supplied  with 
brandy.  Under  the  English,  with  Jamaica  rum.  Under  the  Americans, 
with  whisky.  These  constitute  the  fire,  the  gall,  and  the  poison  ages  of  In 
dian  history.  Under  this  triple  curse  they  have  maintained  an  existence 
in  the  face  of  a  white  population.  But  it  has  been  an  existence  merely. 
Other  nations  are  said  to  have  had  a  golden  age.  But  there  has  been  no 
golden  age  for  them.  If  there  ever  was  a  state  of  prosperity  among 
them,  which  may  be  likened  to  it,  it  was  when  their  camps  were  crowned 
with  temporal  abundance — when  the  races  of  animals,  furred  and  unfur- 


358  THE    INFLUENCE    OF    ARDENT    SPIRITS 

red,  placed  food  and  clothing  within  the  reach  of  all — and  when  they 
knew  no  intoxicating  drink.  To  counterbalance  these  advantages,  they 
were,  however,  subject  to  many  evils.  They  were  then,  as  they  are 
now,  indolent,  improvident,  revengeful,  warlike.  Bravery,  manual 
strength,  and  eloquence,  were  the  cardinal  virtues.  And  their  own  feuds 
kept  them  in  a  state  of  perpetual  insecurity  and  alarm.  The  increased 
value  given  to  furs,  by  the  arrival  of  Europeans,  created  a  new  era  in 
their  history,  and  accelerated  their  downfall.  It  gave  an  increased  energy 
and  new  object  to  the  chase.  To  reward  their  activity  in  this  employ 
ment,  ardent  spirits  became  the  bounty,  rather  than  the  price.  A  two 
fold  injury  ensued.  The  animals  upon  whose  flesh  they  had  subsisted 
became  scarce,  and  their  own  constitutions  were  undermined  with  the 
subtle  stimulant. 

Historical  writers  do  not  always  agree  :  but  they  coincide  in  their  tes 
timony  respecting  the  absence  of  any  intoxicating  drink  among  the  north 
ern  Indians,  at  the  time  of  the  discovery.  It  is  well  attested  that  the 
Azteeks,  and  other  Mexican  and  Southern  tribes,  had  their  pulque,  and 
other  intoxicating  drinks,  which  they  possessed  the  art  of  making  from 
various  native  grains  and  fruits.  But  the  art  itself  was  confined,  with 
the  plants  employed,  to  those  latitudes.  And  there  is  110  historical  evi 
dence  to  prove  that  it  was  ever  known  or  practised  by  the  tribes  situated 
north  and  east  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Dr.  Robertson,  an  able  and  faith 
ful  describer  of  Indian  manners,  fully  concurs  with  the  Jesuit  authors,  in 
saying  that  no  such  beverage  was  known  in  the  north,  until  Europeans 
found  it  for  their  pecuniary  interest  to  supply  it.  After  which,  intoxica 
tion  became  as  common  among  the  northern  as  the  southern  tribes.* 

Three  hundred  and  forty  years  ago  there  was  not  a  white  man  in 
America.  Columbus  discovered  the  West  India  Islands ;  but  Cabot  and 
Verrizani  were  the  discoverers  of  North  America.  Cartier  and  Hudson 
followed  in  the  track.  The  first  interview  of  Hudson  with  the  Mohegan 
tribes,  took  place  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  which  now  bears  his  name. 
It  is  remarkable  as  the  scene  of  the  first  Indian  intoxication  among  them, 
He  had  no  sooner  cast  anchor,  and  landed  from  his  boat,  and  passed  a 
friendly  salutation  with  the  natives,  than  he  ordered  a  bottle  of  ardent 
spirits  to  be  brought.  To  show  that  he  did  not  intend  to  offer  them 
what  he  would  not  himself  taste,  an  attendant  poured  him  out  a  cup  of 
the  liquor,  which  he  drank  off.  The  cup  was  then  filled  and  passed  to 
the  Indians.  But  they  merely  smelled  of  it  and  passed  it  on.  It  had 
nearly  gone  round  the  circle  untasted,  when  one  of  the  chiefs,  bolder 
than  the  rest,  made  a  short  harangue,  saying  it  would  be  disrespectful  to 
return  it  untasted,  and  declaring  his  intention  to  drink  off  the  potion,  if  he 
should  be  killed  in  the  attempt.  He  drank  it  off.  Dizziness  and  stu- 

*  Robertson's  History  of  America. 


ON    THE    INDIAN    RACE.  359 

por  immediately  ensued.  He  sank  down  and  fell  into  a  sleep — the  sleep 
of  death,  as  his  companions  thought.  But  in  due  time  he  awoke — de 
clared  the  happiness  he  had  experienced  from  its  effects — asked  again 
for  the  cup,  and  the  whole  assembly  followed  his  example.* 

Nor  was  the  first  meeting  with  the  New  England  trihes  very  dissimi 
lar.  It  took  place  at  Plymouth,  in  1620.  Massasoit,  the  celebrated 
chief  of  the  Pokanokets,  came  to  visit  the  new  settlers,  not  long  after 
their  landing.  He  was  received  by  the  English  governor  with  military 
music  and  the  discharge  of  some  muskets.  After  which,  the  Governor 
kissed  his  hand.  Massasoit  then  kissed  him,  and  they  both  sat  down 
together.  "  A  pot  of  strong  water,"  as  the  early  writers  expressed  it, 
was  then  ordered,  from  which  both  drank.  The  chief,  in  his  simplicity, 
drank  so  great  a  draught  that  it  threw  him  into  a  violent  perspiration 
during  the  remainder  of  the  interview. "f 

The  first  formal  interview  of  the  French  with  the  Indians  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  is  also  worthy  of  being  referred  to,  as  it  appears  to  have  been 
the  initial  step  in  vitiating  the  taste  of  the  Indians,  by  the  introduction  of 
a  foreign  drink.  It  took  place  in  1535,  on  board  one  of  Cartier's  ships, 
lying  at  anchor  near  the  Island  of  Orleans,  forty-nine  years  before  the 
arrival  of  Amidas  and  Bar^w  on  the  coast  of  Virginia.  Donnaconna,  a 
chief  who  is  courteously  styled  the  "  Lord  of  Agouhanna,"  visited  the 
ship  with  twelve  canoes.  Ten  of  these  he  had  stationed  at  a  distance, 
and  with  the  other  two,  containing  sixteen  men,  he  approached  the  ves 
sels.  When  he  drew  near  the  headmost  vessel,  he  began  to  utter  an 
earnest  address,  accompanied  with  violent  gesticulation.  Cartier  hailed 
his  approach  in  a  friendly  manner.  He  had,  the  year  before,  captured 
two  Indians  on  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  and  he  now  addressed  the  chief 
through  their  interpretation.  Donnaconna  listened  to  his  native  lan 
guage  with  delight,  and  was  so  much  pleased  with  the  recital  they  gave, 
that  he  requested  Cartier  to  reach  his  arm  over  the  side  of  the  vessel, 
that  he  might  kiss  it.  He  was  not  content  with  this  act  of  salutation, 
but  fondled  it,  by  drawing  the  arm  gently  around  his  neck.  His  watch 
ful  caution  did  not,  however,  permit  him  to  venture  on  board.  Cartier, 
willing  to  give  him  a  proof  of  his  confidence,  then  descended  into  the 
chiefs  canoe,  and  ordered  bread  and  wine  to  be  brought.  They  ate  and 
drank  together,  all  the  Indians  present  participating  in  the  banquet, 
which  appears  to  have  been  terminated  in  a  temperate  manner.  J 

But  like  most  temperate  beginnings  in  the  use  of  spirits,  it  soon  led  to 
intemperance  in  its  most  repulsive  forms.  The  taste  enkindled  by  wine, 
was  soon  fed  with  brandy,  and  spread  among  the  native  bands  like  a 
wildfire.  It  gave  birth  to  disease,  discord,  and  crime,  in  their  most 

*  Heckewelder's  Account  of  the  Indians, 
t  Purchas'  Pilgrims,  Part  iv.,  book  x. 
I  Hackluyt's  Voyages. 


360  THE    INFLUENCE    OF    ARDENT    SPIRITS 

shocking  forms.  Too  late  the  government  and  the  clergy  saw  their 
error,  and  attempted  to  arrest  it ;  but  it  was  too  deeply  seated  among 
their  own  countrymen,  as  well  as  among  the  Indians.  Every  effort 
proved  unsuccessful ;  and  the  evil  went  on  until  the  Canadas  were 
finally  transferred  to  the  British  crown,  with  this  "  mortal  canker" 
burning  upon  the  northern  tribes.  Those  who  have  leisure  and  curiosity 
to  turn  to  the  early  writers,  will  see  abundant  evidence  of  its  deep  and 
wide-spread  influence.  It  became  the  ready  means  of  rousing  to  action 
a  people  averse  to  long  continued  exertion  of  any  kind.  It  was  the 
reward  of  the  chase.  It  was  the  price  of  blood.  It  was  the  great  bar  to 
the  successful  introduction  of  Christianity.  It  is  impossible  that  the 
Indian  should  both  drink  and  pray.  It  was  impossible  then,  and  it  is 
impossible  now  :  and  the  missionary  who  entered  the  forest,  with  the 
Bible  and  crucifix  in  one  hand,  and  the  bottle  in  the  other,  might  say, 
with  the  Roman  soliloquist,  who  deliberated  on  self-murder, 

*'  My  bane  and  antidote  are  both  before  me  : 
While  this  informs  me  I  shall  never  die, 
This  in  a  moment  brings  me  to  my  end." 

National  rivalry,  between  the  English  and  French  governments,  gave 
a  character  of  extreme  bitterness  to  the  feelings  of  the  Indians,  and  served 
to  promote  the  passion  for  strong  drink.  It  added  to  the  horrors  of  war, 
and  accumulated  the  miseries  of  peace.  It  was  always  a  struggle  be 
tween  these  nations  which  should  wield  the  Indian  power  ;  and,  so  far 
as  religion  went,  it  was  a  struggle  between  the  Catholic  and  Protestant 
tenets.  It  was  a  power  which  both  had,  in  a  measure,  the  means  of 
putting  into  motion :  but  neither  had  the  complete  means  of  controlling  it, 
if  we  concede  to  them  the  perfect  will.  It  would  have  mitigated  the 
evil,  if  this  struggle  for  mastering  the  Indian  mind  had  terminated  with  a 
state  of  war,  but  it  was  kept  up  during  the  feverish  intermissions  of 
peace.  Political  influence  was  the  ever-present  weight  in  each  side  of  the 
scale.  Religion  threw  in  her  aid  ;  but  it  was  trade,  the  possession  of 
the  fur  trade,  that  gave  the  preponderating  weight.  And  there  is  noth 
ing  in  the  history  of  this  rivalry,  from  the  arrival  of  Roberval  to  the 
death  of  Montcalm,  that  had  so  permanently  pernicious  an  influence  as 
the  sanction  which  this  trade  gave  to  the  use  of  ardent  spirits. 

We  can  but  glance  at  this  subject ;  but  it  is  a  glance  at  the  track  of  a 
tornado  Destruction  lies  in  its  course.  The  history  of  the  fur  trade  is 
closely  interwoven  with  the  history  of  intemperance  among  the  Indians. 
We  know  not  how  to  effect  the  separation.  Look  at  it  in  what  era  you 
will,  the  barter  in  ardent  spirits  constitutes  a  prominent  feature.  From 
Jamestown  to  Plymouth — from  the  island  of  Manhattan  to  the  Lake  of 
the  Hills,  the  traffic  was  introduced  at  the  earliest  periods.  And  we 
cannot  now  put  our  finger  on  the  map,  to  indicate  a  spot  where  ardent 
spirits  is  not  known  to  the  natives.  Is  it  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia, 


ON    THE    INDIAN    RACE.  36J 

the  sources  of  the  Multnomah,  or  the  Rio  del  Norde — the  passes  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains  on  Peace  River,  or  the  shores  of  the  Arctic  Sea  ?  it  is 
known  at  all  these  places.  The  natives  can  call  it  by  name,  and  they 
place  a  value  on  its  possession.  We  do  not  wish  to  convey  the  idea  that 
it  is  abundant  at  these  remote  places.  We  have  reason  to  believe  it  is  sel 
dom  seen.  But  we  also  believe  that  in  proportion  as  it  is  scarce — in  pro 
portion  as  the  quantity  is  small,  and  the  occasion  of  its  issue  rare,  so  is 
the  price  of  it  in  sale,  and  the  value  of  it  in  gift,  enhanced.  And  just  so 
far  as  it  is  used,  it  is  pernicious  in  effect,  unnecessary  in  practice,  unwise 
in  policy. 

The  French,  who  have  endeared  themselves  so  much  in  the  affections 
of  the  Indians,  were  earlier  in  Canada  than  the  English  upon  the  United 
States'  coast.  Carder's  treat  of  wine  and  bread  to  the  Iroquois  of  the 
St.  Lawrence,  happened  eighty-five  years  before  the  landing  of  the  Pil 
grims.  They  were  also  earlier  to  perceive  the  evils  of  an  unrestrained 
trade,  in  which  nothing  was  stipulated,  and  nothing  prohibited.  To  pre 
vent  its  irregularities,  licenses  were  granted  by  the  French  government 
to  individuals,  on  the  payment  of  a  price.  It  was  a  boon  to  superannu 
ated  officers,  and  the  number  was  limited.  In  1685,  the  number  was 
twenty-five.  But  the  remedy  proved  worse  than  the  disease.  These 
licenses  became  negotiable  paper.  They  were  sold  from  hand  to  hand, 
and  gave  birth  to  a  traffic,  which  assumed  the  same  character  in  tempo 
ral  affairs,  that  "  indulgences"  did  in  spiritual.  They  were,  in  effect, 
licenses  to  commit  every  species  of  wrong,  for  those  who  got  them  at 
*ast,  were  generally  persons  under  the  government  of  no  high  standard 
of  moral  responsibility  ;  and  as  they  may  be  supposed  to  have  paid  well 
for  them,  they  were  sure  to  make  it  up  by  excessive  exactions  upon  the 
Indians.  Courier  du  bois,  was  the  term  first  applied  to  them.  Merchant 
voyageur,  was  the  appellation  at  a  subsequent  period.  But  whatever 
they  were  called,  one  spirit  actuated  them — the  spirit  of  acquiring  wealth 
by  driving  a  gainful  traffic  with  an  ignorant  people,  and  for  this  purpose 
ardent  spirits  was  but  too  well  adapted.  They  transported  it,  along  with 
articles  of  necessity,  up  long  rivers,  and  over  difficult  portages.  And 
when  they  had  reached  the  borders  of  the  Upper  Lakes,  or  the  banks  of 
the  Sasketchawine,  they  were  too  far  removed  from  the  influence  of 
courts,  both  judicial  and  ecclesiastical,  to  be  in  much  dread  of  them. 
Feuds,  strifes,  and  murders  ensued.  Crime  strode  unchecked  through 
the  land.  Every  Indian  trader  became  a  legislator  and  a  judge.  His 
word  was  not  only  a  law,  but  it  was  a  law  which  possessed  the  property 
of  undergoing  as  many  repeals  and  mutations  as  the  interest,  the  pride, 
or  the  passion  of  the  individual  rendered  expedient.  If  wealth  was  ac 
cumulated,  it  is  not  intended  to  infer  that  the  pressing  wants  of  the  In 
dians  were  not  relieved — that  the  trade  was  not  a  very  acceptable  and 
important  one  to  them,  and  that  great  peril  and  expnnse  were  not  encoun- 


362  THE    INFLUENCE    OF    ARDENT    SPIRITS 

tered,  and  a  high  degree  of  enterprise  displayed  in  its  prosecution.  But 
it  is  contended,  that  if  real  wants  were  relieved,  artificial  ones  were  cre 
ated — that  if  it  substituted  the  gun  for  the  bow,  and  shrouds  and  blan 
kets  in  the  place  of  the  more  expensive  clothing  of  beaver  skins,  it  also 
substituted  ardent  spirits  for  waiter — intoxication  for  sobriety — disease 
for  health. 

Those  who  entertain  the  opinion  that  the  fall  of  Quebec,  celebrated  in 
England  and  America  as  a  high  military  achievement,  and  the  conse 
quent  surrender  of  Canada,  produced  any  very  important  improvement 
in  this  state  of  things,  forget  that  the  leading  principles  and  desires  of  the 
human  heart  are  alike  in  all  nations,  acting  under  like  circumstances. 
The  desire  of  amassing  wealth — the  thirst  for  exercising  power — the 
Dride  of  information  over  ignorance — the  power  of  vicious  over  virtuous 
principles,  are  not  confined  to  particular  eras,  nations,  or  latitudes.  They 
belong  to  mankind,  and  they  will  be  pursued  with  a  zeal  as  irrespective 
of  equal  and  exact  justice,  wherever  they  are  not  restrained  by  the  enno 
bling  maxims  of  Christianity. 

Whoever  feels  interested  in  looking  back  into  this  period  of  our  com 
mercial  Indian  affairs,  is  recommended  to  peruse  the  published  statistical 
and  controversial  volumes,  growing  out  of  the  Earl  of  Selkirk's  schemes 
of  colonization,  and  to  the  proceedings  of  the  North  West  Company. 
This  iron  monopoly  grew  up  out  of  private  adventure.  Such  golden 
accounts  were  brought  out  of  the  country  by  the  Tods,  the  Frobishers, 
and  the  M'Tavishes,  and  M'Gillvrays,  who  first  visited  it,  that  every 
bold  man,  who  had  either  talents  or  money,  rushed  to  the  theatre  of 
action.  The  boundary  which  had  been  left  to  the  French,  as  the  limit 
of  trade,  was  soon  passed.  The  Missinipi,  Athabasca,  Fort  Chipewyan, 
Slave  lake,  Mackenzie's  and  Copper  Mine  Rivers,  the  Unjigah  and  the 
Oregon,  were  reached  in  a  few  years.  All  Arctic  America  was  penetrated. 
The  British  government  is  much  indebted  to  Scottish  enterprise  for  the  ex 
tension  of  its  power  and  resources  in  this  quarter.  But  while  we  admire  the 
zeal  and  boldness  with  which  the  limits  of  the  trade  were  extended,  we 
regret  that  a  belief  in  the  necessity  of  using  ardent  spirits  caused  them  to 
be  introduced,  in  any  quantity,  among  the  North  West  tribes. 

Other  regions  have  been  explored  t6  spread  the  light  of  the  gospel. 
This  was  traversed  to  extend  the  reign  of  intemperance,  and  to  prove 
that  the  love  of  gain  was  so  strongly  implanted  in  the  breast  of  the  white 
man,  as  to  carry  him  over  regions  of  ice  and  snow,  woods  and  waters, 
where  the  natives  had  only  been  intruded  on  by  the  Musk  Ox  and  the 
Polar  bear.  Nobody  will  deem  it  too  much  to  say,  that  wherever  the 
current  of  the  fur  trade  set,  the  nations  were  intoxicated,  demoralized, 
depopulated.  The  terrible  scourge  of  the  small  pox,  which  broke  out 
in  the  country  north  west  of  Lake  Superior  in  1782,  was  scarcely  more 
fatal  to  the  natives,  though  more  rapid  and  striking  in  its  effects,  than  tho 


ON    THE    INDIAN    RACE.  363 

power  of  ardent  spirits.  Nor  did  it  produce  so  great  a  moral  affliction. 
For  those  who  died  of  the  varioloid,  were  spared  the  death  of  ebriety. 
Furs  were  gleaned  with  an  iron  hand,  and  rum  was  given  out  with  an  iron 
heart.  There  was  no  remedy  for  the  rigors  of  the  trade  ;  and  there  was  no 
appeal.  Beaver  was  sought  with  a  thirst  of  gain  as  great  as  that  which 
carried  Cortez  to  Mexico,  and  Pizarro  to  Peru.  It  had  deadened  the 
ties  of  humanity,  and  cut  asunder  the  cords  of  private  faith.*  Like  the 
Spaniard  in  his  treatment  of  Capolicon,  when  the  latter  had  given  him 
the  house  full  of  gold  for  his  ransom,  he  was  himself  basely  executed. 
So  the  northern  chief,  when  he  had  given  his  all,  gave  himself  as  the  vic 
tim  at  last.  He  was  not,  however,  consumed  at  the  stake,  but  at  the 
bottle.  The  sword  of  his  executioner  was  spirits — his  gold,  beaver  skins. 
And  no  mines  of  the  m-ecious  metals,  which  the  world  has  ever  produced, 
have  probably  been  more  productive  of  wealth,  than  the  fur-yielding 
regions  of  North  America. 

But  while  the  products  of  the  chase  have  yielded  wealth  to  the  white 
man,  they  have  produced  misery  to  the  Indian.  The  latter,  suffering  for 
the  means  of  subsistence,  like  the  child  in  the  parable,  had  asked  for 
bread,  and  he  received  it ;  but,  with  it,  he  received  a  scorpion.  And  it 
is  the  sting  of  the  scorpion,  that  has  been  raging  among  the  tribes  for 
more  than  two  centuries,  causing  sickness,  death,  and  depopulation  in  its 
track.  It  is  the  venom  of  this  sting,  that  has  proved  emphatically 

" the  blight  of  human  bliss! 

Curse  to  all  states  of  man,  but  most  to  this" 

Let  me  not  be  mistaken,  in  ascribing  effects  disproportionate  to  their  cause, 
or  in  overlooking  advantages  which  have  brought  along  in  their  train,  a 
striking  evil.  I  am  no  admirer  of  that  sickly  philosophy,  which  looks 
back  upon  a  state  of  nature  as  a  state  of  innocence,  and  which  cannot 
appreciate  the  benefits  the  Indian  race  have  derived  from  the  discovery 
of  this  portion  of  the  world  by  civilized  and  Christian  nations.  But 
while  I  would  not,  on  the  one  hand,  conceal  my  sense  of  the  advantages, 
temporal  and  spiritual,  which  hinge  upon  this  discovery,  I  would  not,  on 
the  other,  disguise  the  evils  which  intemperance  has  caused  among 
them  ;  nor  cease  to  hold  it  up,  to  the  public,  as  a  great  and  destroying 
evil,  which  was  early  introduced — which  has  spread  extensively — which 
is  in  active  operation,  and  which  threatens  yet  more  disastrous  conse* 
quences  to  this  unfortunate  race. 

Writers  have  not  been  wanting,  who  are  prone  to  lay  but  little  stress 
upcn  the  destructive  influence  of  ardent  spirits,  in  diminishing  the  native 
population,  and  who  have  considered  its  effects  as  trifling  in  comparison 
to  the  want  of  food,  and  the  enhanced  price  created  by  this  want."f  The 

*  The  murder  of  Wadin,  the  cold-blooded  assassination  of  Keveny,  and  the  shoot- 
kig  of  Semple,  are  appealed  to,  as  justifying  the  force  of  this  remark. 

t  The  North  American  Review.  Sanford's  History  of  the  United  States,  before 
the  Revolution. 


364 


THE  INFLUENCE  OF  ARDENT 


TS 


abundance  or  scarcity  of  food  is  a  principle  in  political  economy,  which 
is  assumed  as  the  primary  cause  of  depopulation.  And,  as  such,  we  see 
no  reason  to  question  its  soundness.  If  the  value  of  labor,  the  price  of 
clothing  and  other  necessary  commodities,  can  be  referred  to  the  varying 
prices  of  vegetable  and  animal  food,  we  do  not  see  that  the  fact  of  a 
people's  being  civilized  or  uncivilized,  should  invalidate  the  principle ; 
and  when  we  turn  our  eyes  upon  the  forest  we  see  that  it  does  not.  A 
pound  of  beaver,  which  in  1730,  when  animal  food  was  abundant,  was 
worth  here  about  a  French  crown,  is  now,  when  food  is  scarce  and 
dear,  worth  from  five  to  six  dollars  ;  and  consequently,  one  pound  of 
beaver  now  will  procure  as  much  food  and  clothing  as  five  pounds  of  the 
like  quality  of  beaver  then.  It  is  the  failure  of  the  race  of  furred  ani 
mals,  and  the  want  of  industry  in  hunting  them,  that  operate  to  produce 
depopulation.  And  what,  we  may  ask,  has  so  powerful  an  effect  in 
destroying  the  energies  of  the  hunter,  as  the  vice  of  intemperance  ? 
Stupefying  his  mind,  and  enervating  his  body,  it  leaves  him  neither  the 
vigor  to  provide  for  his  temporary  wants,  nor  the  disposition  to  inquire 
into  those  which  regard  eternity.  His  natural  affections  are  blunted,  and 
all  the  sterner  and  nobler  qualities  of  the  Indian  mind  prostrated.  His 
family  are  neglected.  They  first  become  objects  of  pity  to  our  citizens, 
and  then  of  disgust.  The  want  of  wholesome  food  and  comfortable 
clothing  produce  disease.  He  falls  at  last  himself,  the  victim  of  disease, 
superinduced  from  drinking. 

Such  is  no  exaggerated  picture  of  the  Indian,  who  is  in  a  situation  to 
contract  the  habit  of  intemperance.  And  it  is  only  within  the  last  year 
or  eighteen  months — it  is  only  since  the  operation  of  Temperance  princi 
ples  has  been  felt  in  this  remote  place,  that  scenes  of  this  kind  have  be 
come  unfrequent,  and  have  almost  ceased  in  our  village,  and  in  our  set 
tlement.  And  when  we  look  abroad  to  other  places,  and  observe  the 
spread  of  temperance  in  the  wide  area  from  Louisiana  to  Maine,  we  may 
almost  fancy  we  behold  the  accomplishment  of  Indian  fable.  It  is  related, 
on  the  best  authority,  that  among  the  extravagances  of  Spanish  enter 
prise,  which  characterized  the  era  of  the  discovery  of  America,  the  na 
tives  had  reported  the  existence  of  a  fountain  in  the  interior  of  one  of  the 
islands,  possessed  of  such  magical  virtues,  that  whoever  bathed  in  its 
waters  would  be  restored  to  the  bloom  of  youth  and  the  vigor  of  man 
hood.  In  search  of  this  wonderful  fountain  historians  affirm,  that  Ponce 
de  Leon  and  his  followers  ranged  the  island.  They  only,  however,  drew 
upon  themselves  the  charge  of  credulity.  May  we  not  suppose  this  tale 
of  the  salutary  fountain  to  be  an  Indian  allegory  of  temperance  ?  It 
will,  at  least,  admit  of  this  application.  And  let  us  rejoice  that,  in  the 
eratof  temperance,  we  have  found  the  spring  which  will  restore  bloom 
to  the  cheeks  of  the  young  man,  and  the  panacea  that  will  remove  dis 
ease  from  the  old. 


ON    THE    INDIAN    RACE.  365 

When  we  consider  the  effects  which  our  own  humble  efforts  as  inha 
bitants  of  a  distant  post  have  produced  in  this  labor  of  humanity,  have 
we  not  every  encouragement  to  persevere  ?  Js  it  not  an  effort  sanctioned 
by  the  noblest  affections  of  our  nature — by  the  soundest  principles  of 
philanthropy — by  the  highest  aspirations  of  Christian  benevolence  ?  Is 
it  not  the  work  of  patriots  as  well  as  Christians  ?  of  good  citizens  as  well 
as  good  neighbors  ?  Is  it  not  a  high  and  imperious  duty  to  rid  our  land 
of  the  foul  stain  of  intemperance  ?  Is  it  a  duty  too  hard  for  us  to  accom 
plish  ?  Is  there  anything  unreasonable  in  the  voluntary  obligations  by 
which  we  are  bound  ?  Shall  we  lose  property  or  reputation  by  laboring 
in  the  cause  of  temperance  ?  Will  the  debtor  be  less  able  to  pay  his 
debts,  or  the  creditor  less  able  to  collect  them  ?  Shall  we  injure  man, 
woman  or  child,  by  dashing  away  the  cup  of  intoxication  ?  Shall  we 
incur  the  charge  of  being  denominated  fools  or  madmen  ?  Shall  we  vio 
late  any  principles  of  morality,  or  any  of  the  maxims  of  Christianity  ? 
Shall  we  run  the  risk  of  diminishing  the  happiness  of  others,  or  putting 
our  own  in  jeopardy  ?  Finally,  shall  we  injure  man — shall  we  offend 
God? 

If  neither  of  these  evils  will  result — if  the  highest  principles  of  virtue 
and  happiness  sanction  the  measure — if  learning  applauds  it,  and  religion 
approves  it — if  good  must  result  from  its  success,  and  injury  cannot 
accrue  from  its  failure,  what  further  motive  need  we  to  impel  us  onward, 
to  devote  our  best  faculties  in  the  cause,  and  neither  to  faint  nor  rest 
till  the  modern  hydra  of  intemperance  be  expelled  from  our  country  ? 


VENERABLE  INDIAN  CHIEF. 

THE  Cattaraugus  (N.  Y.)  Whig,  of  a  late  date,  mentions  that  Gov. 
Blacksnake,  the  Grand  Sachem  of  the  Indian  nation,  was  recently  in  that 
place.  He  resides  on  the  Alleghany  Reservation,  about  twenty  miles 
from  the  village ;  is  the  successor  of  Corn  Planter,  as  chief  of  the  Six 
Nations — a  nephew  of  Joseph  Brant,  and  uncle  of  the  celebrated  Red 
Jacket.  He  was  born  near  Cayuga  Lake  in  1749,  being  now  ninety-six 
years  of  age.  He  was  in  the  battle  of  Fort  Stanwix,  Wyoming,  &c.,  and 
was  a  warm  friend  of  Gen.  Washington  during  the  Revolution.  He  was 
in  Washington's  camp  forty  days  at  the  close  of  the  Revolution — was 
appointed  chief  by  him,  and  now  wears  suspended  from  his  neck  a  beau 
tiful  silver  medal  presented  to  him  by  Gen.  Washington,  bearing  date 
3796. 


FATE  OF  THE  RED  RACE  IN  AMERICA: 

THE     POLICY     PURSUED     TOWARDS     THEM    BY     GOVERNMENT,     AND 

THE    PRESENT    CONDITION    OF    THE    TRIBES    WHO    HAVE 

REMOVED    WEST    OF    THE    MISSISSIPPI.* 

THE  removal  of  the  Indian  Tribes  within  our  State  boundaries,  to  the 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  their  present  condition  and  probable  ulti 
mate  fate,  have  been  the  topic  of  such  frequent  speculation,  misunder 
standing,  and  may  we  not  add,  misrepresentation,  within  a  few  years 
past,  both  at  home  and  abroad,  that  we  suppose  some  notice  of  them, 
and  particularly  of  the  territory  they  occupy,  and  the  result,  thus  far, 
of  their  experiment  in  self-government,  drawn  from  authentic  sources, 
may  prove  not  unacceptable  to  the  public. 

The  nomadic  and  hunter  states  of  society  never  embraced  within 
themselves  the  elements  of  perpetuity.  They  have  ever  existed,  in 
deed,  like  a  vacuum  in  the  system  of  nature,  which  is  at  every  moment 
in  peril,  and  subject  to  be  filled  up  and  destroyed  by  the  in-rushing  of 
the  surrounding  element.  Civilisation  is  that  element,  in  relation  to 
non -agricultural  and  barbaric  tribes,  and  the  only  question  with  respect 
to  their  continuance  as  distinct  communities  has  been,  how  long  they 
could  resist  its  influence,  and  at  what  particular  era  this  influence 
should  change,  improve,  undermine,  or  destroy  them.  It  is  proved  by 
history,  that  two  essentially  different  states  of  society,  with  regard  to 
art  and  civilisation,  cannot  both  prosperously  exist  together,  at  the  same 
time.  The  one  which  is  in  the  ascendant  will  absorb  and  destroy  the 
other.  A  wolf  and  a  lamb  are  not  more  antagonistical  in  the  system 
of  organic  being,  than  civilisation  and  barbarism,  in  the  great  ethno 
logical  impulse  of  man's  diffusion  over  the  globe.  In  this  impulse,  bar 
barism  may  temporarily  triumph,  as  we  see  it  has  done  by  many  striking 
examples  in  the  history  of  Asia  and  Europe.  But  such  triumphs  have 
been  attended  with  this  remarkable  result,  that  they  have,  in  the  end, 
reproduced  the  civilisation  which  they  destroyed.  Such,  to  quote  no 
other  example,  was  the  effect  of  the  prostration  of  the  Roman  type  of 
civilisation  by  the  warlike  and  predatory  tribes  of  Northern  Europe, 
Letters  and  Christianity  were  both  borne  down,  for  a  while,  by  this  irre 
sistible  on-rush  ;  but  they  were  thereby  only  the  more  deeply  implanted 

*  Democratic  Review,  1844. 

366 


INDIAN    POLICY.  367 

in  the  stratum  of  preparing  civilisation  ;  and  in  due  time,  like  the  grain 
that  rots  before  it  reproduces,  sprang  up  with  a  vigor  and  freshness, 
which  is  calculated  to  be  enduring,  and  to  fill  the  globe. 

Civilisation  may  be  likened  to  an  absorbent  body,  placed  in  contact 
with  an  anti-absorbent,  for  some  of  the  properties  of  which  it  has 
strong  affinities.  It  will  draw  these  latter  so  completely  out,  that,  to 
use  a  strong  phrase,  it  may  be  said  to  eat  them  up.  Civilisation  is  found 
to  derive  some  of  the  means  of  its  perfect  development  from  letters  and 
the  arts,  but  it  cannot  permanently  exist  without  the  cultivation  of  the 
soil.  It  seems  to  have  been  the  fundamental  principle  on  which  the 
species  were  originally  created,  that  they  should  derive  their  sustenance 
and  means  of  perpetuation  from  this  industrial  labor.  Wherever  agri 
cultural  tribes  have  placed  themselves  in  juxtaposition  to  hunters  and 
erratic  races,  they  have  been  found  to  withdraw  from  the  latter  the 
means  of  their  support,  by  narrowing  the  limits  of  the  forest  and  plains, 
upon  the  wild  animals  of  which,  both  carnivorous  and  herbivorous,  hun 
ters  subsist.  When  these  have  been  destroyed,  the  grand  resources  of 
these  hunters  and  pursuers  have  disappeared.  Wars,  the  introduction  of 
foreign  articles  or  habits  of  injurious  tendency,  may  "accelerate  the  period 
of  their  decline — a  result  which  is  still  further  helped  forward  by  inter 
nal  dissensions,  and  the  want  of  that  political  foresight  by  which  civil 
nations  exist.  But  without  these,  and  by  the  gradual  process  of  the 
narrowing  down  of  their  hunting  grounds,  and  the  conversion  of  the 
dominions  of  the  bow  and  arrow  to  those  of  the  plough,  this  result 
must  inevitably  ensue.  There  is  no  principle  of  either  permanency  or 
prosperity  in  the  savage  state. 

It  is  a  question  of  curious  and  philosophic  interest,  however,  to  ob 
serve  the  varying  and  very  unequal  effects,  which  different  types  of 
civilisation  have  had  upon  the  wild  hordes  of  men  with  whom  it  has 
come  into  contact.  And  still  more,  perhaps,  to  trace  the  original  effici 
ency,  or  effeminacy  of  the  civil  type,  in  the  blood  of  predominating 
races,  who  have  been  characterized  by  it.  In  some  of  the  European 
stocks  this  type  has  remained  nearly  stationary  since  it  reached  the 
chivalric  era.  In  others,  it  had  assumed  a  deeply  commercial  tone,  and 
confined  itself  greatly  to  the  drawing  forth,  from  the  resources  of  new 
countries,  those  objects  which  invigorate  trade.  There  is  no  stock, 
having  claims  to  a  generic  nationality,  in  which  the  principle  of  progress 
has,  from  the  outset,  been  so  strongly  marked,  as  in  those  hardy,  brave 
and  athletic  tribes  in  the  north  of  Europe,  for  whom  the  name  of  Teu 
tons  conveys,  perhaps,  a  more  comprehensive  meaning,  than  the  com 
paratively  later  one  of  Saxons.  The  object  of  this  race  appears  con 
tinually  to  be,  and  to  have  been,  to  do  more  than  has  previously  been 
done  ;  to  give  diffusion  and  comprehension  to  designs  of  improvement, 
and  thus,  by  perpetually  putting  forth  new  efforts,  on  the  globe,  to  carry 


368  INDIAN    POLICY. 

on  man  to  nis  highest  destiny.  The  same  impulsive  aspirations  of  the 
spirit  of  progress,  the  same  energetic  onwardness  of  principle  which 
overthrew  Rome,  overthrew,  at  another  period,  the  simple  institutions 
of  the  woad-stained  Britons ;  and,  whatever  other  aspect  it  bears,  we 
must  attribute  to  the  same  national  energy  the  modern  introduction  of 
European  civilisation  into  Asia. 

When  these  principles  come  to  be  applied  to  America,  and  to  be  tested 
by  its  native  tribes,  we  shall  clearly  perceive  their  appropriate  and  distinc 
tive  effects.  In  South  America,  where  the  type  of  chivalry  marked  the 
discoverers,  barbarism  has  lingered  among  the  natives,  without  being 
destroyed,  for  three  centuries.  In  Canada,  which  drew  its  early 
colonists  exclusively  from  the  feudal  towns  and  seaports,  whose  inhabit 
ants  had  it  for  a  maxim,  that  they  had  done  all  that  was  required  of 
good  citizens,  when  they  had  done  all  that  had  been  previously  done,  the 
native  tribes  have  remained  perfectly  stationary.  With  the  exception 
of  slight  changes  in  dress,  and  an  absolute  depreciation  in  morals,  they 
are  essentially  at  this  day  what  they  were  in  the  respective  eras  of  Car- 
tier  and  Champlain.  In  the  native  monarchies  of  Mexico  and  Peru, 
Spain  overthrew  the  gross  objects  of  idolatrous  worship,  and  intercalated 
among  these  tribes  the  arts  and  some  of  the  customs  of  the  16th  century. 
With  a  very  large  proportion  of  the  tribes  but  little  was  attempted  be 
yond  military  subjugation,  and  less  accomplished.  The  seaboard  tribes 
received  the  ritual  of  the  Romish  church.  Many  of  those  in  the  inte 
rior,  comprehending  the  higher  ranges  of  the  Andes  and  Cordilleras,  re 
main  to  this  day  in  the  undisturbed  practice  of  their  ancient  superstitions 
and  modes  of  subsistence.  It  is  seen  from  recent  discoveries,  that  there 
are  vast  portions  of  the  interior  of  the  country,  unknown,  unexplored 
and  undescribed.  We  are  just,  indeed,  beginning  to  comprehend  the 
true  character  of  the  indigenous  Indian  civilisation  of  the  era  of  the  disco 
very.  These  remarks  are  sufficient  to  show  how  feebly  the  obligations 
of  letters  and  Christianity  have  been  performed,  with  respect  to  the  red 
men,  by  the  colonists  of  those  types  of  the  early  European  civilisation, 
who  rested  themselves  on  feudal  tenures,  m'litary  renown,  and  an  eccle 
siastical  system  of  empty  ceremonies. 

It  was  with  very  different  plans  and  principles  that  North  America 
was  colonized.  We  consider  the  Pilgrims  as  the  embodiment  of  the 
true  ancient  Teutonic  type.  Their  Alaric  and  Brennus  were  found  in 
the  pulpit  and  in  the  school-room.  They  came  with  high  and  severe 
notions  of  civil  and  religious  liberty.  It  was  their  prime  object  to  sus 
tain  themselves,  not  by  conquest,  but  by  cultivating  the  soil.  To  escape 
an  ecclesiastical  tyranny  at  home,  they  were  willing  to  venture  them 
selves  in  new  climes.  But  they  meant  to  triumph  in  the  arts  of  peace. 
They  embarked  with  the  Bible  as  their  shield  and  sword,  and  they  laid 
its  principles  at  the  foundation  of  all  their  institutions,  civil,  literary,  in- 


INDIAN   POLICY.  369 

dustrial,  and  ecclesiastic.  They  were  pious  and  industrious  themselves, 
and  they  designed  to  make  the  Indian  tribes  so.  They  bought  their 
lands  and  paid  for  them,  and  proceeded  to  establish  friendly  neighbor 
hoods  among  the  tribes.  Religious  truth,  as  it  is  declared  in  the  Gos 
pel,  was  the  fundamental  principle  of  all  their  acts.  In  its  exposition 
and  daily  use,  they  followed  no  interpretations  of  councils  at  variance 
with  its  plain  import.  This  every  one  was  at  liberty  to  read. 

Placed  side  by  side  with  such  an  enlightened  and  purposed  race,  what 
had  the  priests  of  the  system  of  native  rites  and  superstitions  to  expect  ? 
There  could  be  no  compromise  of  rites — no  partial  conformity — no  giving 
up  a  part  to  retain  the  rest— as  had  been  done  in  the  plains  of  Central 
America,  Mexico  and  Yucatan.  No  toleration  of  pseudo-paganism,  as 
had  been  done  on  the  waters  of  the  Orinoco,  the  Parana  and  the  Para 
guay.  They  must  abandon  the  system  at  once.  The  error  was  gross 
and  total.  They  must  abjure  it.  They  had  mistaken  darkness  for  light ; 
and  they  were  now  offered  the  light.  They  had  worshipped  Lucifer 
instead  of  Immanuel.  This  the  tribes  who  spread  along  the  shores  of 
the  North  Atlantic  were  told,  and  nothing  was  held  back.  They 
founded  churches  and  established  schools  among  them.  They  trans 
lated  the  entire  Bible,  and  the  version  of  David's  Psalms,  and  the 
Hymns  of  Dr.  Watts,  into  one  of  their  languages.  Two  types  of  the 
human  race,  more  fully  and  completely  antagonistical,  in  all  respects, 
never  came  in  contact  on  the  globe.  They  were  the  alpha  and  omega 
of  the  ethnological  chain.  If,  therefore,  the  Red  Race  declined,  and 
the  white  increased,  it  was  because  civilisation  had  more  of  the  prin 
ciples  of  endurance  and  progress  than  barbarism  ;  because  Christianity 
was  superior  to  paganism  ;  industry  to  idleness  ;  agriculture  to  hunting ; 
letters  to  hieroglyphics ;  truth  to  error.  Here  lie  the  true  secrets  of 
the  Red  Men's  decline. 

There  are  but  three  principal  results  which,  we  think,  the  civilized 
world  could  have  anticipated  for  the  race,  at  the  era  of  the  discovery. 
1 .  They  might  be  supposed  to  be  subject  to  early  extermination  on  the 
coasts,  where  they  were  found.  A  thousand  things  would  lead  to  this, 
which  need  not  be  mentioned.  Intemperance  and  idleness  alone  were 
adequate  causes.  2.  Philanthropists  and  Christians  might  hope  to  re 
claim  them,  either  in  their  original  positions  on  the  coasts,  or  in  agri 
cultural  communities  in  adjacent  parts.  8.  Experience  and  forecast 
might  indicate  a  third  result,  in  which  full  success  should  attend 
neither  of  the  foregoing  plans,  nor  yet  complete  failure.  There  was 
nothing,  exactly,  in  the  known  history  of  mankind,  to  guide  opinion. 
A  mixed  condition  of  things  was  the  most  probable  result.  And  this, 
it  might  be  anticipated,  would  be  greatly  modified  by  times  and  seasons, 
circumstances  and  localities,  acting  on  particular  tribes.  Nothing  less 
could  have  been  expected  but  the  decline  and  extinction  of  some  tribe. 

24 


370  INDIAN    POLJCY. 

whilst  the  removal  of  others,  to  less  exposed  positions,  would  be  found 
to  tell  upon  their  improvement.  The  effects  of  letters  and  Christianity 
would  necessarily  be  slow ;  but  they  were  effects,  which  the  history  of 
discovery  and  civilisation,  in  other  parts  of  the  world,  proved  to  be 
effective  and  practical.  What  was  this  mixed  condition  to  eventuate 
in  ? — how  long  was  it  to  continue  ?  Were  the  tribes  to  exercise  sove 
reign  political  jurisdiction  over  the  tracts  they  lived  on  ?  Were  they  to 
submit  to  the  civilized  code,  and  if  so,  to  the  penal  code  only,  or  also 
to  the  civil  ?  Or,  if  not,  were  they  to  exist  by  amalgamation  with  the 
European  stocks,  and  thus  contribute  the  elements  of  a  new  race  ? 
These,  and  many  other  questions,  early  arose1,  and  were  often  not  a  little 
perplexing  to  magistrates,  legislatures,  and  governors.  It  was  evident 
the  aboriginal  race  possessed  distinctive  general  rights,  but  these  existed 
contemporaneously,  or  intermixed  with  the  rights  of  the  discoverers. 
How  were  these  separate  rights  to  be  defined  ?  How  were  the  weak 
to  be  protected,  and  the  strong  to  be  restrained,  at  points  beyond  the 
ordinary  pale  of  the  civil  law  ?  If  a  red  man  killed  a  white,  without 
the  ordinary  jurisdiction  of  the  courts,  could  he  be  seized  as  a  criminal  ? 
And  if  so,  were  civil  offences,  committed  without  the  jurisdiction  of 
either  territory,  cognizable  in  either,  or  neither  ?  Could  there  be  a 
supremacy  within  a  supremacy  ?  And  what  was  the  limit  between 
State  and  United  States  laws  ?  Such  were  among  the  topics  entering 
into  the  Indian  policy.  It  was  altogether  a  mixed  system,  and  like  most 
mixed  systems,  it  worked  awkwardly,  confusedly,  and  sometimes  badly. 
Precedents  were  to  be  established  for  new  cases,  and  these  were  per- 
petually  subject  to  variation.  Legislators,  judges,  and  executive  officers 
were  often  in  doubt,  and  it  required  the  wisest,  shrewdest,  and  best  me^i 
in  the  land  to  resolve  these  doubts,  and  to  lay  down  rules,  or  advice,  for 
future  proceeding  in  relation  to  the  Red  Race.  It  will  be  sufnc:«?nt  to 
Dear  cut  the  latter  remark,  to  say,  that  among  the  sages  who  Deemed 
this  subject  important,  were  a  Roger  Williams,  a  Penn,  a  Franklin,  a 
Washington,  a  Jefferson,  a  Monroe,  a  Crawford,  and  a  Calhoun. 

It  must  needs  have  happened,  that  where  the  Saxon  race  went,  the 
principles  of  law,  justice,  and  freedom,  must  prevail.  These  principles, 
as  they  existed  in  England  at  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
were  transferred  to  America,  with  the  Cavaliers,  the  Pilgrims,  and  the 
Quakers,  precisely,  as  to  the  two  first  topics,  as  they  existed  at  home. 
Private  rights  were  as  well  secured,  and  public  justice  as  well  awarded 
here,  as  there.  But  they  also  brought  over  the  aristocratic  system, 
which  was  upheld  by  the  royal  governors,  who  were  the  immediate  re 
presentatives  of  the  crown.  The  doctrine  was  imprescriptible,  that  the 
fee  of  all  public  or  unpatented  lands  was  in  the  crown,  and  all  inhabit 
ants  of  the  realm  owed  allegiance  and  fealty  to  the  crown.  This  doc 
trine,  when  applied  to  the  native  tribes  of  America,  left  them  neither 


INDIAN    POLICY.  371 

fee-simple  in  the  soil,  nor  political  sovereignty  over  it.  It  cut  them 
down  to  vassals,  but,  by  a  legal  solecisiti,  they  were  regarded  as  a  sort 
of  free  vassals.  So  long  as  the  royal  governments  remained,  they  had 
the  usufruct  of  the  public  domain — the  right  of  fishing,  and  hunting,  and 
planting  upon  it,  and  of  doing  certain  other  acts  of  occupancy  ;  but  this 
right  ceased  just  as  soon,  and  as  fast,  as  patents  were  granted,  or  the  public 
exigency  required  the  domain.  The  native  chiefs  were  quieted  with 
presents  from  the  throne,  through  the  local  officers,  and  their  ideas  of  in 
dependence  and  control  were  answered  by  the  public  councils,  in  which 
friendships  were  established,  and  the  public  tranquillity  looked  after. 
Private  purchases  were  made  from  the  outset,  but  the  idea  of  a  public 
treaty  of  purchase  of  the  soil  under  the  proprietary  and  royal  governors, 
was  not  entertained  before  the  era  of  William  Penn. 

It  remained  for  the  patriots  of  1775,  who  set  up  the  frame  of  our  pre 
sent  government,  by  an  appeal  to  arms,  to  award  the  aboriginal  tribes 
the  full  proprietary  right  to  the  soil  they  respectively  occupied,  and  to 
guarantee  to  them  its  full  and  free  use,  until  such  right  was  relinquished 
by  treaty  stipulations.  So  far,  they  were  acknowledged  as  sovereigns. 
This  is  the  first  step  in  their  political  exaltation,  and  dates,  in  our  re 
cords,  from  the  respective  treaties  of  Fort  Pitt,  September  17,  1778, 
and  of  Fort  Stanwix,  of  October  22,  1784.  The  latter  was  as  early 
after  the  establishment  of  our  independence,  as  these  tribes — the  Six 
nations,  who,  with  the  exception  of  the  Oneidas,  sided  with  the  parent 
country — could  be  brought  to  listen  to  the  terms  of  peace.  They  were 
followed  by  the  Wyandots,  Delawares,  and  Chippewas,  and  Ottowas, 
in  January,  1785 ;  by  the  Cherokees,  in  November  of  the  same  year  ; 
and  by  the  Choctaws  and  Shawnees,  in  January,  1786.  Other  western 
nations  followed  in  1789  ;  the  Creeks  did  not  treat  till  1790.  And  from 
this  era,  the  system  has  been  continued  up  to  the  present  moment.  It 
may  be  affirmed,  that  there  is  not  an  acre  of  land  of  the  public  domain 
of  the  United  States,  sold  at  the  land  offices,  from  the  days  of  General 
Washington,  but  what  has  been  acquired  in  this  manner.  War,  in  which 
we  and  they  have  been  frequently  involved,  since  that  period,  has  con 
veyed  no  territorial  right.  We  have  conquered  them,  on  the  field,  not 
to  usurp  territory,  but  to  place  them  in  a  condition  to  observe  how  much 
more  their  interests  and  permanent  prosperity  would  be,  and  have  ever 
been,  promoted  by  the  plough  than  the  sword.  And  there  has  been  a 
prompt  recurrence,  at  every  mutation  from  war  to  peace,  punctually,  to 
that  fine  sentiment  embraced  in  the  first  article  of  the  first  treaty  ever 
made  between  the  American  government  and  the  Indian  tribes,  namely, 
that  all  offences  and  animosities  "  shall  be  mutually  forgiven,  and  buried 
in  deep  oblivion,  and  never  more  be  had  in  remembrance."* 

*  Treaty  of  Fort  Pitt,  1778. 


372  INDIAN    POLICY. 

The  first  step  to  advance  the  aboriginal  man  to  his  natural  and  just 
political  rights,  namely,  the  acknowledgment  of  his  right  to  the  soil,  we 
have  mentioned  ;  but  those  that  were  to  succeed  it  were  more  difficult 
and  complex  in  their  bearings.  Congress,  from  the  earliest  traces  ot 
their  action,  as  they  appear  in  their  journals  and  public  acts,  confined  the 
operation  of  the  civil  code  to  the  territory  actually  acquired  by  negotia 
tion,  and  treaties  duly  ratified  by  the  Senate,  and  proclaimed,  agreeably 
to  the  Constitution,  by  the  President.  So  much  of  this  public  territory 
as  fell  within  the  respective  State  lines,  fell,  by  the  terms  of  our  politi 
cal  compact,  under  State  laws,  and  the  jurisdiction  of  the  State  courts  ; 
and  as  soon  as  new  tracts  of  the  Indian  territory,  thus  within  State  boun 
daries,  were  acquired,  the  State  laws  had  an  exact  corresponding  exten 
sion  until  the  whole  of  such  Indian  lands  had  been  acquired.  This  pro 
vided  a  definite  and  clear  mode  of  action,  and  if  it  were  sometimes  the 
subject  of  doubt  or  confliction,  such  perplexity  arose  from  the  great  ex 
tension  of  the  country,  its  sparsely  settled  condition,  and  the  haste  or 
ignorance  of  local  magistrates.  And  these  difficulties  were  invariably 
removed  whenever  the  cases  came  into  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States. 

Without  regard  to  the  area  of  the  States,  but  including  and  having 
respect  only  to  the  territories,  and  to  the  vast  and  unincorporated  wil 
derness,  called  the  "  Indian  country,"  Congress  provided  a  special  code 
of  laws,  and  from  the  first,  held  over  this  -part  of  the  Union,  and  holds 
over  it  now,  full  and  complete  jurisdiction.  This  code  was  designed 
chiefly  to  regulate  the  trade  carried  on  at  those  remote  points  between 
the  white  and  red  men,  to  preserve  the  public  tranquillity,  and  to  provide 
for  the  adjudication  of  offences  Citizens  of  the  United  States,  carrying 
the  passport,  license,  or  authority  of  their  government,  are  protected  by 
their  papers  thus  legally  obtained  ;  and  the  tribes  are  held  answerable  for 
their  good  treatment,  and  if  violence  occur,  for  their  lives.  No  civil 
process,  however,  has  efficacy  in  such  positions  ;  and  there  is  no  com 
pulsory  legal  collection  of  debts,  were  it  indeed  practicable,  on  the  Indian 
territories.  The  customs  and  usages  of  the  trade  and  intercourse, 
as  established  from  early  times,  prevail  there.  These  customs  are 
chiefly  founded  on  the  patriarchal  system,  which  was  found  in  vogue  on 
the  settlement  of  the  country,  and  they  admit  of  compensations  and 
privileges  founded  on  natural  principles  of  equity  and  right.  The  Indian 
criminal  code,  whatever  that  is,  also  prevails  there.  The  only  excep 
tion  to  it  .arises  from  cases  of  Americans,  maliciously  killed  within  the 
"  Indian  country,"  the  laws  of  Congress  providing,  that  the  aggressors 
should  be  surrendered  into  the  hands  of  justice,  and  tried  by  the  nearest 
United  States  courts. 

These  preliminary  facts  will  exhibit  some  of  the  leading  features  of 
the  mixed  system  alluded  to.     Its  workings  were  better  calculated  for 


INDIAN    POLICY.  373 

the  early  stages  of  society,  while  population  was  sparse  and  the  two 
races,  as  bodies,  kept  far  apart,  than  for  its  maturer  periods.  As  the  in 
tervening  lands  became  ceded,  and  sold,  and  settled,  and  the  tribes  them 
selves  began  to  put  on  aspects  of  civilisation,  the  discrepancies  of  the  sys 
tem,  and  its  want  of  homogeneousness  and  harmony,  became -more  appa 
rent.  Throughout  the  whole  period  of  the  administrations  of  Washington, 
and  John  Adams,  and  Jefferson,  a  period  of  twenty  years,  the  low  state  of 
our  population,  and  the  great  extent  and  unreclaimed  character  of  the 
public  domain,  left  the  Indians  undisturbed,  and  no  questions  of  much 
importance  occurred  to  test  the  permanency  of  the  system  as  regards 
the  welfare  of  the  Indians.  Mr.  Jefferson  foresaw,  however,  the  effect 
of  encroachments  beyond  the  Ohio,  and  with  an  enlightened  regard  for 
the  race  and  their  civilisation,  prepared  a  new  and  consolidated  code  of 
all  prior  acts,  with  some  salutary  new  provisions,  which  had  the  effect  to 
systematize  the  trade  and  intercourse,  and  more  fully  to  protect  the  rights 
of  the  Indians.  This  code  served,  with  occasional  amendments,  through 
the  succeeding  administrations  of  Madison,  Monroe,  and  John  Quincy 
Adams,  into  that  of  General  Jackson,  when,  in  1834,  the  greatly  ad 
vanced  line  of  the  frontiers,  the  multiplied  population,  and  necessarily 
increased  force  of  the  Indian  department,  and  the  large  amount  of  Indian 
annuities  to  be  paid,  called  for  its  thorough  revision,  and  a  new  general 
enactment  was  made. 

Previously,  however,  to  this  time,  during  the  administration  of  Mr. 
Monroe,  it  was  perceived  that  the  Indian  tribes,  as  separate  communi 
ties,  living  in,  and  surrounded  by,  people  of  European  descent,  and  gov 
erned  by  a  widely  different  system  of  laws,  arts,  and  customs,  could  not 
be  expected  to  arrive  at  a  state  of  permanent  prosperity  while  thus  lo 
cally  situated.  The  tendency  of  the  Saxon  institutions,  laws,  and  juris 
prudence,  was  to  sweep  over  them.  The  greater  must  needs  absorb 
the  less.  And  there  appeared,  on  wise  and  mature  reflection,  no  rea 
sonable  hope  to  the  true  friends  of  the  native  race,  that  they  could  sus 
tain  themselves  in  independency  or  success  as  foreign  elements  in  the 
midst  of  the  State  communities.  It  was  impossible  that  two  systems  of 
governments,  so  diverse  as  the  Indian  and  American,  should  co-exist  on 
the  same  territory.  All  history  proved  this.  The  most  rational  hope 
of  success  for  this  race,  the  only  one  which  indeed  appeared  practical 
on  a  scale  commensurate  with  the  object,  was  to  remove  them,  with 
their  own  consent,  to  a  position  entirely  without  the  boundaries  of  the 
State  jurisdictions,  where  they  might  assert  their  political  sovereignty, 
and  live  and  develope  their  true  national  character,  under  their  own 
laws. 

The  impelling  cause  for  the  action  of  the  government,  during  Mr 
Monroe's  administration,  was  the.  peculiar  condition  of  certain  tribes,  liv 
ing  on  their  own  original  territories,  within  the  State  boundaries,  and 


374 


INDIAN    POLICY. 


who  were  adverse  to  further  cessions  of  such  territory.  The  question 
assumed  its  principal  interest  in  the  State  of  Georgia,  within  which  por 
tions  of  the  Creek  and  Cherokee  tribes  were  then  living.  About  ten 
millions  of  acres  of  lands  were  thus  in  the  occupancy  of  these  two  tribes. 
As  the  population  of  Georgia  expanded  and  approached  the  Indian  set 
tlements,  the  evils  of  the  mixed  political  system  alluded  to  began  strong 
ly  to  evince  themselves.  In  the  progress  of  the  dispersion  of  the  human 
race  over  the  globe,  there  never  was,  perhaps,  a  more  diverse  legal,  po 
litical,  and  moral  amalgamation  attempted,  than  there  was  found  to  ex 
ist,  when,  in  this  area,  the  descendants  from  the  old  Saxons,  north-men 
and  Hugenots  from  Europe,  came  in  contact  with  the  descendants  (we 
speak  of  a  theory)  of  the  idle,  pastoral,  unphilosophic.  non-inductive  race 
of  central  Asia,  living  in  the  genial  climate  and  sunny  valleys  of  Georgia 
and  Alabama. 

The  American  government  had  embarrassed  itself  by  stipulating  at  an 
early  day,  with  the  State  of  Georgia,  to  extinguish  the  Indian  title  with 
in  her  boundaries,  at  the  earliest  practicable  period,  when  it  could  be  done 
"  peaceably  and  on  reasonable  conditions."  The  Indians,  as  they  ad 
vanced  in  agriculture,  became  averse  to  sell.  The  Georgians,  as  they 
increased  in  numbers,  became  importunate  for  the  territory  to  which  they 
had,  in  this  event,  the  reversionary  right.  The  President  was  frequently 
importuned  by  the  State  authorities.  The  Indians  were  frequently 
brought  to  consider  the  subject,  which  was  one  that  increased  its  impor 
tance  with  years. 

We  have  deemed  it  proper  to  put  this  matter  in  its  right  attitude  in 
relation  to  the  great  question  of  Indian  removal ;  and  as  furnishing,  as  it 
did,  reasons  for  the  early  consideration  and  action  of  the  government. 
It  is  not  our  intention  to  pursue  the  Georgia  question  disjunctively — we 
have  neither  time  nor  space  for  it  here,  and  will  only  further  premise, 
that  it  is  susceptible  of  some  very  different  views  from  those  often  pre 
mised  of  it.*  That  it  was  one  of  the  prominent  considerations  which 
led  the  administration  of  Monroe  to  take  up  betimes  the  general  question 
of  the  Indian  tribes,  is  well  known  and  remembered,  and  apparent  from 
a  perusal  of  the  public  documents  of  the  era. 

Governed  by  such  considerations,  Mr.  Monroe  communicated  a  spe 
cial  message  to  Congress  on  the  27th  of  January,  1825,  recommending 
the  removal  of  all  the  tribes  within  the  States  and  Territories,  and  pro 
viding  for  their  future  "location  and  government."  This  is  the  official 
date  and  foundation  of  the  plan  of  removal,  which  has  been  so  generally, 

*  We  have  only  space  to  say  here,  that  the  cession  of  the  Georgia  lands  was  sub- 
seqiently  made  by  the  Lower  Creeks  under  the  chieftaincy  of  General  M'Intosh, 
who  was  the  first  to  affix  his  signature  to  it.  For  this  act  he  paid  the  penalty  of  his 
life  ;  the  Upper  Creeks  and  their  adherents,  having  assembled  in  arms,  surrounded 
his  house,  and  fired  three  hundred  balls  into  it,  killing  its  unhappy,  but  distinguish- 
ed  inmate. 


INDIAN    POLICY.  375 

and  may  we  not  add,  so  successfully  and  propitiously  to  the  best  inte 
rests  of  the  tribes,  carried  into  effect.  "  Being  deeply  impressed  with 
the  opinion,"  observes  this  venerated  statesman,  who  has,  years  since, 
gone  to  join  the  patriot  «pirits  who  achieved  our  independence — "  that 
the  removal  of  the  Indian  tribes  from  the  land  which  they  now  occu 
py,  within  the  limits  of  the  several  States  and  Territories,  to  the  coun 
try  lying  westward  and  northward  thereof,  within  our  acknowledged 
boundaries,  is  of  very  high  importance  to  the  Union,  and  may  be  accom 
plished  on  conditions,  and  in  a  manner,  to  promote  the  interests  and  hap 
piness  of  those  tribes,  the  attention  of  the  government  has  been  long 
drawn,  with  great  solicitude,  to  the  object. 

"  For  the  removal  of  the  tribes  within  the  limits  of  the  State  of  Geor 
gia,  the  motive  has  been  peculiarly  strong,  arising  from  the  compact  with 
that  State,  whereby  the  United  States  are  bound  to  extinguish  the  In 
dian  title  to  the  lands  within  it,  whenever  it  may  be  done  peaceably,  and 
on  reasonable  conditions. 

"  In  the  fulfilment  of  this  compact,  I  have  thought  that  the  United 
States  should  act  with  a  generous  spirit,  that  they  should  omit  nothing 
which  should  comport  with  a  liberal  construction  of  the  instrument,  and 
likewise  be  in  accordance  with  the  just  rights  of  those  tribes.  From  the 
view  which  I  have  taken  of  the  subject,  I  am  satisfied  that,  in  the  dis 
charge  of  these  important  duties,  in  regard  to  both  the  parties  alluded  to, 
the  United  States  will  have  to  encounter  no  conflicting  interests  with 
either  :  on  the  contrary,  that  the  removal  of  the  tribes  from  the  Territo 
ries  which  they  inhabit,  to  that  which  was  designated  in  the  message  at 
the  commencement  of  the  session,  which  would  accomplish  the  object 
for  Georgia,  under  a  well  digested  plan  for  their  government  and  civili 
sation,  in  a  mode  agreeable  to  themselves,  would  not  only  shield  them 
from  impending  rain,  but  promote  their  welfare  and  happiness.  Experi 
ence  has  clearly  demonstrated  that,  in  their  present  state,  it  is  impossible  to 
incorporate  them,  in  such  masses,  in  any  form  whatever,  into  our  system.  It 
has  also  demonstrated,  with  equal  certainty,  that  without  a  timely  anticipa 
tion  of,  and  provision  against,  the  dangers  to  which  they  are  exposed,  under 
causes  which  it  will  be  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  control,  their  degrada 
tion  and  extermination  will  be  inevitable.^ 

We  have  underscored  the  last  two  sentences,  because  they  express 
in  forcible  and  just  language,  the  experience  of  the  American  govern 
ment,  in  relation  to  the  subject,  after  an  experiment  of  fifty  years,  dating 
from  '75,  and  lie,  indeed,  at  the  foundation  of  the  present  Indian  policy. 
It  is  also  the  experience  of  sound  and  calm  observers,  who  have  watch 
ed  the  operation  of  our  laws  and  customs  upon  the  isolated  Indian  com 
munities  in  the  States.  Every  year  has  exemplified  the  futility  of  rais 
ing  them  up  to  the  European  standard  in  industry,  in  intelligence  or  cha 
racter,  while  thus  situated  ;  nor,  indeed,  has  it  been  practicable  to  shield 


376  INDIAN    POLIO\. 

them  effectually  against  the  combined  effects  of  intemperance,  personal 
sloth,  and  of  popular  and  vulgar  contumely. 

Mr.  Calhoun,  whose  report  on  the  subject  was  transmitted  to  Con 
gress,  with  the  message  above  named,  communicates  the  details  essen 
tial  to  the  execution  of  the  proposed  plan.  He  states  the  whole  num 
ber  of  Indians  to  be  removed  from  the  States  and  Territories,  excluding 
those  located  west  and  north  of  Lake  Michigan  and  the  Straits  of  St. 
Mary's,  at  97,000  souls,  who  occupy  about  77  millions  of  acres  of  land. 
The  country  proposed  for  their  location  is  that  stretching  immediately 
west,  beyond  the  boundaries  of  tke  States  of  MISSOURI  and  ARKANSAS, 
having  the  River  Arkansas  running  through  its  centre  from  west  to  east, 
the  Missouri  and  Red  rivers  respectively  as  the  northern  boundary,  and 
the  vast  grassy  plains  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  as  its  western 
limit. 

The  map  which  we  publish  of  this  territory,  is  drawn  on  the  basis  of 
one  which  was  published  by  Congress  in  1834,  in  illustration  of  the  re 
port  of  the  committee  on  Indian  affairs  of  May  30th  of  that  session.  It 
embraces  all  the  locations  of  tribes  to  that  period. 

The  plan  proposed  the  gratuitous  grant  of  the  country  to  the  respec 
tive  tribes,  and  their  removal  to  it  at  government  expense.  It  embraces 
the  transference  to  it,  of  their  schools  established  by  religious  societies,  and 
supported,  in  part,  by  the  civilisation  fund,  and  all  their  means  of  moral 
and  religious  culture.  It  is  based  on  the  pursuit  of  agriculture,  the  me 
chanic  arts,  and  the  raising  of  cattle  and  stock.  It  invests  the  tribes 
with  full  power  of  making  and  executing  all  their  laws  and  regulations, 
civil  and  criminal.  It  stipulates  military  protection,  to  keep  the  sur 
rounding  tribes  at  peace.  It  leaves  them  their  political  sovereignty ; 
being  without  the  boundary  of  the  States,  under  their  own  chiefs  and 
local  governors,  with  such  aids  as  are  necessary  to  enable  the  various 
tribes  to  associate  and  set  up  the  frame  of  an  associated  government  to 
be  managed  by  themselves,  and  as  subsequently  proposed  in  Congress, 
to  be  represented  in  that  body  whenever  the  system  shall  be  perfected 
so  as  to  justify  this  measure.  It  proposed,  as  the  basis  of  removal,  a 
solemn  act  of  Congress,  guaranteeing  the  country  to  them,  and  exclud 
ing  its  future  incorporation  into  the  States.  A  second  location,  in  the 
northern  latitudes,  was  proposed  for  the  Indians  west  of  Michigan,  where 
a  further  body  of  32,266  souls  were  estimated  to  reside. 

Such  were  the  general  principles  of  Mr.  Monroe's  plan,  submitted  in 
1825,  and  subsequently  adopted  by  Congress,  in  its  essential  features. 
It  has  now  been  in  operation  EIGHTEEN  YEARS,  and  it  is  proposed,  in 
bringing  this  paper  to  a  close,  briefly  to  examine  the  condition  and  pros 
pects  of  the  expatriated  tribes,  in  the  country  to  which  they  have  been 
transferred. 

By  a  report  from  the  proper  department,  transmitted  to  Congress  with 


INDIAN    POLICY.  377 

the  President's  message  in  1836,  the  result  of  the  first  ten  years'  expe 
riment  is  shown  to  have  been  the  actual  migration  of  40,000  from 
their  original  seats,  east,  to  the  allotted  Indian  territory,  west  of  the  Mis 
sissippi.  Of  this  number,  18,000  were  Creeks,  15,000  Choctaws,  6,000 
Cherokees,  2,000  Chippewas,  Ottawas,  and  Pottowattomies,  1,300 
Shawnees,  800  Delawares,  500  Quapaws,  400  Seminoles,  600  Kicka- 
poos,  400  Senecas,  and  an  average  of,  say  250  each,  of  Appalachicolas, 
Weas,  Piankashaws,  Peorias  and  Kaskaskias.  In  this  statement,  small 
fractions  over  or  under,  are  omitted.  A  location  and  permanent  home 
has  been  provided  for  seventeen  tribes  and  parts  of  tribes  ;  a  number 
which,  in  the  succeeding  seven  years,  we  speak  from  documents  before 
us,  has  been  largely  augmented.  The  whole  body  of  the  Cherokees,  of 
the  Creeks,  or  Muscogees,  of  the  Chickasaws  and  Choctaws,  &c.,  and 
also,  with  the  exception  of  one  principal  band,  of  the  Seminoles,  have 
been  removed.  Portions  of  other  tribes,  not  then  full,  have  joined  their 
kindred  ;  and  some  whole  tribes,  who  had  not  before  come  into  the  ar 
rangement,  and  ceded  their  lands  east,  as  the  Miamas  of  the  Wabash, 
and  the  Wyandots  of  Sanduskey,  have  since  accepted  locations  in  the 
Indian  territory.  The  Chickasaws  are  all  located  with  their  affiliated 
countrymen,  the  Choctaws  ;  and  numbers  of  the  ancient  Iroquois  con 
federacy,  the  Six  Nations  of  New  York,  as  well  as  the  ancient  Mohe- 
gans  and  Munsees,  have,  within  a  few  years,  selected  locations  south  of 
the  Missouri.  The  entire  number  of  red  men  now  concentrated  on  those 
plains  and  valleys,  where  winter  scarcely  exerts  any  severity  of  power, 
may  be  set  down  at  77,000  souls,  leaving,  from  the  official  report  of 
1841,  but  21,774  of  the  original  estimated  number  of  1825,  to  be  remov 
ed  ;  exclusive  of  those  west  of  the  straits  of  Michilimachinac  and  St. 
Mary's. 

From  the  documents  accompanying  the  annual  report  transmitted  to 
Congress  by  the  President,  in  December,  1840,  the  amount  of  funds 
invested  by  the  government  in  stocks,  for  the  Indians,  was  $2,580,000, 
on  which  the  annual  interest  paid  to  them  was  $131,05.  Twenty-four 
of  the  tribes  had  permanently  appropriated,  by  treaty,  $60,730  per  an 
num,  for  the  purpose  of  education.  The  number  of  schools  maintained, 
and  the  number  of  pupils  actually  taught,  are  not  furnished.  It  is  grati 
fying  to  know,  from  this  source,  that  civilisation,  agriculture,  and  the 
mechanic  arts,  are  making  a  rapid  progress,  and  that  education  and 
Christianity  are  walking  hand-in-hand.  Planting  and  raising  cattle  are 
adopted  generally.  Portions  of  the  most  advanced  tribes  have  devoted 
themselves  to  the  mechanic  arts,  supplying  themselves,  to  a  limited  ex 
tent,  with  smiths,  wheelwrights,  carpenters,  and  joiners,  and  some  other 
oranches.  Spinning  and  hand-loom  weaving  are  practised  to  some  ex 
tent.  There  are  native  merchants,  among  the  three  principal  southern 
tribes,  who  ship  thei;  own  cotton  and  other  products  to  market,  and  sup- 


378  INDIAN    POLICY. 

ply  their  people,  in  return,  with  such  products  of  the  East  and  West  In 
dies,  and  other  parts  of  the  world,  as  they  require.  A  large  part  of  the 
contracts,  particularly  for  Indian  corn,  required  to  subsist  the  United 
States  troops  in  that  quarter  of  the  Union,  is  furnished  by  native  con 
tractors.  Their  legislation  is  performed  in  representative  councils,  and 
is  well  adapted  to  the  actual  and  advancing  state  of  society.  Many  of 
their  leading  men  are  well  educated  ;  some  of  them  classically ;  and  the 
general  moral  and  intellectual  tone  and  habits  of  the  tribes,  are  clearly 
and  strikingly  on  the  advance.  It  requires,  it  is  believed,  but  time  and 
perseverance  in  civil  associations,  to  lead  them  to  the  same  results  ar 
rived  at  by  other  barbarous  nations,  and  to  demonstrate  to  them  the 
value  and  importance  of  a  general  political  confederation,  founded  on  the 
principles  of  equal  rights  and  equal  representation,  supported  by  public 
virtue  and  intelligence. 

Haying  sketched  the  cause  of  the  decline  of  that  portion  of  the  North 
American  Indians,  who  were  seated  along  the  Atlantic,  and  the  plan 
proposed  for  checking  it,  we  shall  now,  with  the  map  and  documentary 
evidence  before  us,  devote  a  few  moments  to  the  present  condition  and 
prospects  of  the  more  prominent  tribes. 

1.  The  Choctaws,  beginning  at  the  extreme  south  of  the  territory,  are 
the  first  in  position.  They  occupy  the  country  above  the  State  of  Ar 
kansas,  extending  from  the  Arkansas  to  the  Red  river,  following  up  the 
Canadian  branch  of  the  former,  comprising  an  area  of  about  150  miles 
in  breadth,  by  200  in  length.  They  are  bounded  by  Texas  south-west. 
The  country  is  well  adapted  for  grain  and  the  raising  of  stock,  in  its 
middle  and  northern  parts,  and  for  cotton  on  the  south.  Many  of  the  . 
natives  have  large  fields,  where,  but  a  few  years  since,  the  forest  was 
untouched.  Saw  mills,  grist  mills,  and  cotton  gins,  are  either  erecting 
or  erected  throughout  the  country.  Salt  is  manufactured  by  an  intelli 
gent  Choctaw.  Iron  ore  has  been  found,  and  specimens  of  gold  have 
been  picked  up  in  various  places. 

This  tribe  is  governed  by  a  written  constitution  and  laws.  Their  ter 
ritory  is  divided  into  three  districts,  each  of  which  elects,  once  in  four 
years,  a  ruling  chief,  and  ten  representatives.  The  general  council, 
thus  constituted,  and  consisting  of  thirty  councillors,  meets  annually,  on 
the  first  Monday  in  October.  Voters  must  be  Choctaws,  of  age,  and 
residents  of  the  districts.  The  three  chiefs  have  a  joint  veto  power 
on  all  laws  passed  ;  but  two-thirds  of  the  council  may  re-pass  them  after 
such  rejection. 

The  council  of  thirty  appoint  their  own  speaker  and  clerk,  and  keep 
a  journal.  They  meet  in  a  large  and  commodious  council-house,  fitted 
up  with  seats  for  members  and  spectators,  and  committee  rooms.  Their 
sessions  are,  usually,  about  ten  days  in  duration.  They  are  paid  two 
dollars  per  diem  for  their  services,  out  of  public  funds. 


INDIAN    POLICY.  379 

In  addition  to  this  evidence  of  capacity  for  self-government,  there  are 
judicial  districts  established,  the  right  of  trial  by  jury  is  secured,  and 
there  is  an  appeal  to  the  highest  tribunal.  All  the  males,  of  a  special* 
age,  are  subject  to  do  military  duty :  for  this  purpose  the  territory  is 
subdivided  into  thirty  two  captaincies,  the  whole  being  placed  under  the 
orders  of  a  general.  The  council  has  passed  many  good  and  wholesome 
laws ;  among  them,  one  against  intemperance  and  the  sale  of  ardent 
spirits.  The  collection  of  debts  is  at  present  not  compulsory,  being 
regulated  by  questions  of  credit,  punctuality,  and  honor,  which  are  to  be 
adjusted  between  the  buyer  and  seller.  The  country  is  too  sparsely 
settled,  and  the  popular  odium  against  incarceration  too  strong,  to  permit 
a  resort  to  it.  Thus,  it  will  be  seen,  this  tribe  exhibit  in  their  frame 
of  government  the  elements  of  a  representative  republic,  not  a  pur§ 
democracy,  with  perhaps  sufficient  conservative  power  to  guard  against 
sudden  popular  effervescence. 

The  Choctaws  have  twelve  public  schools,  established  by  treaty 
stipulations  with  the  United  States.  There  are  several  missionaries 
amongst  them,  of  the  Presbyterian  and  Methodist  denominations,  whose 
labors  are  reported  by  the  public  agents  to  be  beneficial,  and  calculated 
to  advance  their  condition.  There  are  four  public  blacksmith  shops, 
two  of  which  are  exclusively  worked  by  the  natives.  The  strikers,  or 
assistants,  at  all  the  shops,  are  natives.  Shops  have  also  been  erected, 
in  various  parts  of  the  nation,  which  are  occupied  only  in  the  spring  and 
summer,  in  planting  and  crop  time.  The  mechanics  in  these  are  na 
tives,  who  are  paid,  not  by  the  individuals  requiring  aid,  but  out  of  public 
funds.  The  nation  has  an  academy  located  in  Scott  county,  Kentucky, 
at  which  125  students  were  taught  in  1839  and  1840.  This  institution 
is  now  in  the  process  of  being  established  in  their  own  territory.  This 
tribe  we  learn  by  the  Secretary  of  War's  report,  appropriated  $18,000 
of  their  annuities,  in  1843,  to  educational  purposes. 

2.  Chickasaws.     This  tribe  is  of  the  same  lineage  as  the  Choctaws  ; 
and,  by  a  compact  with  the  latter,  they  occupy  the  same  territory,  and 
live  intermixed  with  them.     It  constitutes  a  part  of  this  compact,  that 
the  Chickasaws  are  to  concentrate  their  population,  and  form  a  fourth 
election  district,  which  shall  be  entitled  to  elect  ten  representatives,  and 
three  senatorial  chiefs,  to  the  national  Council.     The  aggregate  amount 
of  the  vested  funds  of  this  tribe,  in  1840,  was  $515,230  44;  of  which 
$146,000  is  devoted  to  orphans.     The  annual  interest  paid  by  the  gov 
ernment  is  $27,063  83.     They  participate  equally  in  the  advantages  of 
the  Choctaw  academy,  and  have  had  many  of  their  youth  educated  at 
that  institution. 

3.  Next,  in  geographical  position,  to  the  united  Choctaws  and  Chick 
asaws,  are  the  Muskogees,  who  are  more  generally  known  under  the 
name  of  Creeks.     They  occupy  a  territory  one  hundred  and  fifty  mile* 


380  INDIAN    POLICY. 

in  length,  by  mnsty  in  breadth.  They  are  bounded  on  the  south  by  the 
Canadian  fork  of  the  Arkansas,  and  by  the  district  of  the  Seminoles, 
which  lies  between  the  main  branch  of  this  stream  and  its  north  fork. 
Their  territory  reaches  to  a  point  opposite  the  junction  of  the  Neosho. 
and  is  protracted  thence  north  to  the  Cherokee  boundary.  It  is  a  rich 
tract,  well  adapted  to  the  growth  of  corn,  vegetables,  and  esculents, 
and  the  raising  of  stock.  It  is  not  as  abundantly  watered  by  running 
streams  as  some  of  the  tracts,  or  rather,  it  is  a  characteristic  of  its 
smaller  streams  that  they  run  dry,  or  stand  in  pools,  during  the  latter 
part  of  summer.  In  place  of  these,  it  has  some  good  springs.  The 
main  and  the  north  fork  of  the  Canadian  are  exemptions  from  the  effects 
of  summer  drouth.  In  point  of  salubrity,  the  country  is  not  inferior  to 
other  portions  of  the  Indian  territory. 

The  government  of  the  Creeks  is  still  essentially  the  same  which 
they  exercised  on  the  banks  of  the  Chattahoochee  and  the  plains  of 
Georgia.  They  exist  in  chieftainships,  each  head  of  which  has  his  own 
local  jurisdiction,  civil  and  criminal.  Each  ruling  chief  has  his  village 
and  his  adherents  ;  and  the  condition  of  things  partakes  of  what  we  shall 
be  understood  by  designating  feudal  traits.  They  have  no  written  con 
stitution  ;  their  laws  are,  however,  now  reduced  in  part  to  writing. 
General  councils,  or  conventions,  not  exact  in  the  period  of  their  occur 
rence,  consider  and  decide  all  general  questions.  At  these,  the  chief 
tainships  are  all  entitled  to  representation.  Local  questions,  of  right 
and  police,  come  before  the  local  chiefs,  and  are  settled  according  to 
usage.  They  adhere  to  the  original  mode  of  working  common  or  town 
fields,  at  which  it  is  the  duty  of  all  to  assist,  both  in  the  original  clear 
ing  and  in  the  annual  labor  of  planting  and  reaping.  There  are  also  in 
dividuals,  possessing  slaves,  who  manage  pretty  extensive  plantations. 
More  corn  is  raised  by  this  tribe  than  by  any  other  now  located  West. 
Over  and  above  their  own  wants,  they  have  for  several  years  had  a 
large  amount  for  sale  and  exportation.  Less  attention  has  been  paid  to 
the  raising  of  stock,  for  which,  indeed,  the  country  has  been  deemed  less 
propitious  ;  but  this  branch  of  industry  has  of  late  years  attracted  more 
attention. 

The  Creeks  had,  for  many  years  prior  to  their  removal,  been  divided 
into  upper  and  lower  towns — a  distinction  which  has  been  transferred  to 
the  West.  Opothleyoholo  is  the  chief  of  the  Upper,  and  Roly  Mcln- 
tosh  of  the  Lower  Creeks.  These  two  chieftainships  embrace  the  lesser 
ones,  and  divide  the  nation  into  two  parties.  It  was  the  Lower  towns, 
headed  by  the  father  of  the  present  chief  (whose  tragic  death  we  have 
mentioned),  that  ceded  the  Georgian  territory,  and  thus  sided  in  the 
policy  of  that  State.  The  condition  in  which  this  tribe  existed,  in  por 
tions  of  Georgia,  Alabama,  and  Mississippi,  was,  in  other  respects,  pecu 
liar.  In  emerging,  as  they  were  well  in  the  process  of  doing,  from  the 


INDIAN    POLICY.  381 

hunter  to  the  agricultural  state,  the  institution  of  slavery,  by  which  they 
were  surrounded,  and  in  which  they  participated,  gave  a  peculiar  de 
velopment  to  their  industry.  Chiefs,  who  were  averse  to  work  them 
selves,  employed  slaves,  and  thus  the  relation  of  planter  and  slave 
was  established  long  before  the  question  of  their  removal  occurred.  The 
effects  of  this  were  to  exalt  a  portion  of  the  nation  above,  and  to  depress 
others  below,  the  average  standing.  The  disparity  which  took  place  in 
laborious  habits  and  in  wealth,  also  impressed  itself  on  education,  dress, 
manners,  and  information  generally.  Although  the  idea  of  slavery  was 
well  known  to  the  red  race  from  the  earliest  times,  and  they  all  have  a 
word  for  it,  in  their  native  vocabularies,  and  practised  it  on  their  pri 
soners,  yet  the  result  we  are  considering  was  accelerated  by  an  admix 
ture  of  European  blood  in  their  chieftains.  Hence  it  is  that  this 
tribe,  and  one  or  two  others  in  the  south,  have  for  years  been  able  to 
put  forth  intelligent  chiefs  to  transact  their  public  business,  who  have 
astonished  the  circles  at  Washington.  Yet,  if  they  were  followed  to 
the  huts  of  the  common  people,  at  home,  there  was  a  degree  of  igno 
rance  and  barbarity,  even  below  the  standard  of  our  leading  northern 
tribes.  Two  kinds  of  testimony,  respecting  the  condition  of  the  southern 
tribes,  both  very  different,  and  both  true,  could  therefore  be  given. 

The  Creeks  came  west,  soured  and  disappointed,  and  but  little  dis 
posed  for  the  effort  before  them.  They  had  suffered  in  various  ways, 
and  they  had  left  the  southern  slopes  and  sunny  valleys  of  the  southern 
Alleganies  with  "  a  longing,  lingering  look.'J  They  had  never  mani 
fested  a  general  interest  in  schools,  and  none  whatever  in  religion.  The 
latter  is  still  the  prevalent  feeling.  It  is  believed  there  is  not  a  mission 
ary  now  tolerated  among  them.  There  is  a  more  friendly  feeling  towards 
education.  Neither  had  they  made  much  advance  in  mechanic  arts. 
The  chiefs  were  too  proud,  the  common  people  too  indolent,  to  learn  the 
use  of  the  saw  or  the  hammer.  Some  change,  in  this  respect,  is 
thought  to  have  ensued.  Mechanics  are  employed  for  their  benefit  and 
at  their  charges,  by  the  government,  which  must  introduce  the  elements 
of  mechanical  industry.  They  dress  in  a  rather  gaudy,  but  picturesque 
manner.  Th^r  live  in  comfortable  houses  of  squared  or  scored  logs, 
fitted  up  with  useful  articles  of  furniture,  and  they  employ  beasts  of 
burthen  and  of  pleasure.  It  is  the  evidence  of  the  government  agents, 
that  the  signs  of  advancing  thrift  and  industry  are  among  them.  Time 
alone,  it  is  believed,  is  necessary,  with  a  perseverance  in  present  efforts, 
to  carry  them  onwards  to  civilisation  and  prosperity.* 

4.  Seminoles.  This  tribe  is  of  the  language  and  lineage  of  the 
Creeks.  They  are  appropriately  placed  on  a  tract  within  the  general 

*  This  tribe  has,  the  past  year  (1843),  passed  a  law  expelling  all  white  men 
who  play  at  cards,  from  the  limits  of  the  nation,  whether  they  have  Indiar, 
wives  or  not.  f 


382  INDIAN    POLICY. 

area  of  the  latter,  bounded  on  the  south  by  the  Canadian  fork  of  the 
Arkansas,  and  by  the  lands  of  the  Choctaws  and  Chickasaws.  The 
tract  has  an  extent  of  seventy  miles  from  east  to  west,  and  is  fully  ade 
quate  to  their  wants.  A  blacksmith's  shop  is  maintained  for  them  ; 
they  are  furnished  with  agricultural  implements,  and  have  been  gratui 
tously  subsisted,  as  other  tribes,  one  year,  at  the  public  expense.  It  is 
thought  to  be  unfavorable  to  their  progress,  that  they  have  been  allowed 
to  migrate,  with  their  slaves,  who  are  averse  to  labor  and  exert  a  para 
lysing  influence  on  their  industry.  This  tribe  is  far  behind  the  other 
southern  tribes  in  civilisation  and  manners.  They  occupied,  while  in 
Florida,  a  region  truly  tropical  in  its  climate,  and  which  yielded  spon 
taneously  no  unimportant  part  of  their  subsistence,  in  the  arrowroot  and 
in  sea  fish.  Their  chief  product  thus  far,  in  the  west,  has  been  corn. 
They  live  under  the  authority  of  local  chiefs,  who,  as  in  all  their  past 
history,  exercise  influence  in  proportion  to  their  talents  and  courage. 
Their  withdrawal  from  scenes  and  situations  which  served  as  nurseries 
of  idle,  savage  habits,  and  their  association  with  the  other  leading  tribes, 
who  are  now  bent  on  supporting  themselves  exclusively  by  agriculture, 
have  been  favorable.  They  have  been  at  peace  since  their  arrival  on 
the  waters  of  the  Arkansas  ;  and  it  is  anticipated  that  they  will,  by  ex 
ample  and  emulation,  assimilate  themselves  in  industry  with  the  pre 
existing  tribes.  It  has  already  been  demonstrated  that  they  will  sus 
tain  themselves  in  their  new  field  of  labor.  But  few  of  their  numbers 
— from  the  last  accounts  not  exceeding  100* — now  remain  in  Florida. 

5.  Cherokees.  This  tribe  is  prominent  among  the  native  stocks  in 
the  United  States,  and  is  foremost  in  the  efforts  it  has  made  to  take  rank 
among  civilized  nations.  In  this  effort  it  has  passed  through  some 
severe  and  tragic  ordeals  from  internal  dissensions,  from  which  it  would 
seem,  that  in  proportion  as  the  prize  is  brought  within  their  grasp,  are 
the  trials  multiplied  which  delay  its  seizure.  And,  notwithstanding  its 
strong  claims  to  consideration  on  this  head,  they  have,  it  must  be  ad 
mitted,  much  to  attain.  The  original  position  of  the  Cherokees,  in 
the  valleys  and  the  western  spurs  of  the  Alleganies,  and  remote  from 
the  disturbing  causes  which  agitated  the  other  tribes,  was  highly  favor 
able  to  their  increase  and  advance.  No  tribe  in  North  America  had 
remained  so  completely  undisturbed,  by  red  or  white  men,  up  to  the 
year  1836.  They  were  early,  and  to  a  considerable  extent,  cultiva 
tors  ;  and  whatever  they  were  in  ancient  times,  they  have  been  a 
nation  at  peace,  for  a  long  period.  Soon  after  the  close  of  the  late 
war  of  1812,  a  portion  of  this  tribe  went  over  the  Mississippi,  and,  by 
a  compact  with  government,  placed  themselves  between  the  waters  of 
the  White  river  and  the  Arkansas.  This  advance  formed  the  nucleus 

*  Secretary  of.  War's  report,  1843. 


INDIAN   POLICY. 


383 


of  that  political  party,  who  have  mingled  in  their  recent  assemblies 
under  the  name  of  Western  Cherokees,  and  who  deemed  themselves 
to  be  entitled  to  some  rights  and  considerations  above  the  Eastern 
Cherokees.  The  principal  dissensions,  however,  grew  out  of  the 
question  of  the  cession  of  the  territory  east  of  the  Mississippi.  This 
was  a  broad  question  of  sale  or  no  sale,  emigration  or  non-emigration. 
At  the  head  of  the  affirmative  party  was  Ridge  ;  at  the  head  of  the 
negative,  Ross.  The  latter,  in  addition  to  his  being  the  leading  chief 
and  most  prominent  man,  was  in  a  large  majority,  and,  for  a  time, 
successfully  resisted  the  measure.  The  former  drew  a  number  of 
the  best  educated  chiefs  and  men  to  his  side.  Availing  himself  of 
the  temporary  absence  of  his  antagonist,  Ross,  from  the  country,  he 
ceded  the  country,  and  sealed  the  fate  of  his  tribe  east  of  the  Mis 
sissippi.  It  was  a  minority  treaty,  but  the  consideration  was  ample  ; 
it  secured  large  prospective  advantages,  besides  a  large  and  rich  domain 
in  the  West.  It  was,  therefore,  sustained  by  the  government ;  the  U.  S. 
Senate  ratified  it,  adding  some  further  immunities  and  further  compensa 
tion,  at  the  instance  of  Ross.  The  tribe  was  removed,  but  it  went  west 
with  a  deadly  feud.  In  the  end,  Ridge,  like  Mclntosh,  paid  for  his 
temerity  with  his  life.  A  representative  government  was  set  up,  consist 
ing  of  a  house  of  delegates  or  representatives,  annually  chosen  by  dis 
tricts  ;  a  senatorial  council,  with  powers  of  revision  or  co-action,  and  an 
executive  elective  head.  A  code  of  laws  has  been  adopted^  and  a 
judiciary  created  to  carry  them  into  effect.  This  system,  which  has  been 
in  operation  some  six  or  seven  years,  has  been  found  adequate  to 
sustain  itself  through  scenes  of  severe  trial ;  and  it  must  be  regarded 
as  one  which,  modified  as  it  may  be,  is  destined  to  endure. 

The  territory  of  the  Cherokees  is  between  that  of  the  Creeks  and 
Osages.  It  is  ample  beyond  their  wants,  fertile,  and  generally  well 
watered.  The  Arkansas  crosses  it  centrally ;  it  has  the  Neosho  and 
the  State  of  Arkansas  as  its  eastern  boundary.  It  is  well  adapted  to 
the  cereal  grains.  Corn,  wheat  and  oats  succeed  well,  together  with 
melons  and  culinary  vegetables  of  all  descriptions.  The  Cherokees 
have  been  long  accustomed  to  husbandry.  They  own  large  stocks  of 
horses,  cattle,  hogs  and  sheep.  They  occupy  substantial  and  comforta 
ble  houses.  Many  of  their  females  spin  and  weave,  and  numbers  of 
their  people  are  clothed  in  their  own  manufactures.  Well  improved 
farms  extend  through  their  settlements.  A  number  of  their  merchants 
are  natives,  who  buy  and  sell  produce,  and  import  foreign  merchandise. 
Reading  and  writing  are  common  attainments.  They  have  schools  and 
churches.  They  have  mills  for  grinding  grain.  They  manufacture  salt 
to  a  limited  extent.  The  country  yields  stone  coal  and  gypsum.  The 
prairies,  which  are  interspersed  through  the  tract,  yield  a  fine  summer 
range  for  ca';tle,  and  produce  a  species  of  grass,  which,  when  properly 


384 


INDIAN   POLICY. 


cured,  is  little  inferior  to  timothy.  With  a  country  which  has  thus  the 
elements  of  prosperity  in  itself,  and  an  intelligent  and  industrious  popu 
lation,  this  tribe  must,  ere  long,  present  the  gratifying  spectacle  of  a 
civilized  race. 

6.  The  Osages.  This  tribe  is  indigenous,  and  formerly  owned  a 
large  part  of  the  territory  which  is  now  assigned  to  others.  Their  habits 
and  condition  have  been,  however,  but  little  benefited  by  the  use  which 
they  have  made  of  their  annuities.  Great  exertions  have  been  made  by 
the  local  agents  to  induce  them  to  give  up  their  erratic  mode  of  life, 
and  become  agriculturists.  To  this  end  stock  and  agricultural  imple 
ments  have  been  furnished  them,  and  other  facilities  given,  but  without 
any  general  effects.  Among  these  may  be  named  -the  building  of  mills, 
and  the  erection  of  well  built  cabins  for  their  chiefs.  There  is  no  tribe 
to  which  the  term  predatory  may  be  so  appropriately  applied  as  to  the 
Osages.  They  have,  from  an  early  day,  been  plunderers  on  that  fron 
tier,  among  red  and  white  men.  Possessing  a  large  territory,  formerly 
well  supplied  with  the  deer,  elk  and  buffalo,  powerful  in  numbers,  cou 
rageous  in  spirit,  and  enjoying  one  of  the  finest  climates,  these  early 
predatory  habits  have  been  transmitted  to  the  present  day.  They  are 
loth  to  relinquish  this  wild  license  of  the  prairies — the  so-called  free 
dom  of  the  roving  Indian.  But  it  is  a  species  of  freedom  which  the 
settlement  of  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  and  the  in-gathering  of  the  semi- 
civilized  tribes  from  the  south  and  the  north,  has  greatly  restricted. 
Game  has  become  comparatively  scarce.  The  day  of  the  hunter  is  well 
nigh  past  in  those  longitudes.  When  to  this  is  added  the  example  of 
the  expatriated  Indians,  in  tillage  and  grazing,  their  field  labors  in 
fencing  and  erecting  houses,  their  improved  modes  of  dress,  their 
schools,  and  their  advanced  state  of  government  and  laws,  the  hope 
may  be  indulged  that  the  Osages  will  also  be  stimulated  to  enter  for  the 
prize  of  civilisation. 

Such  are  the  six  principal  tribes  who  form  the  nucleus,  or,  to  use  a 
military'phrase,  the  right  wing  of  the  expatriated  aboriginal  population, 
as  the  bands  are  arranged  in  their  order  from  south  to  north,  in  the 
trans-Ozark  or  Indian  territory.  It  would  afford  us  pleasure  to  devote 
some  separate  considerations  to  each  of  the  remaining  nineteen  tribes  and 
half  tribes,  or  remnants  and  pioneers  of  tribes,  who  make  up  this  impos 
ing  and  interesting  colony,  where,  for  the  first  time  since  the  settlement 
of  the  Continent,  the  Indian  race  is  presented  in  an  independent,  com 
pact,  and  prosperous  condition.  But  it  would  manifestly  extend  this 
article  beyond  its  just  limits,  and  we  must  therefore  generalize  our  re 
maining  notices. 

We  still,  however,  adhere  to  a  geographical  method.  The  Senecas 
from  Sandusky,  and  the  mixed  Senecas  and  Shawnees,  are  situated 
northeast  of  the  Cherokees,  and  between  the  latter  and  the  western 


INDIAN   POLICY.  385 

•  •  ;_ 

boundary  of  Missouri.  They  possess  a  hundred  thousand  acres  of  choice 
lands.  The  Sanduskies  number  251  souls  ;  the  mixed  band,  222.  They 
are  represented  as  farmers  and  stock-raisers,  frugal,  industrious,  and  less 
addicted  to  intemperance  than  their  neighbors.  •They  cultivated,  in 
1839,  from  two  hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred  acres  of  corn.  They 
have  a  blacksmith's  shop,  under  treaty  stipulations,  and  possess  good 
stocks  of  horses,  cattle,  and  hogs.  The  Quapaws  adjoin  the  Senecas 
and  Shawnees  on  the  north,  and,  as  the  latter,  have  their  kinds  fronting 
on  the  Neosho.  This  band  formerly  owned  and  ceded  the  south  banks 
of  the  Arkansas  from  its  mouth  as  high  as  the  Canadian  fork.  They  are 
indolent,  much  addicted  to  the  use  of  ardent  spirits,  and  depressed  in 
numbers.  They  have  a  tract  of  96,000  acres.  They  cultivate,  generally, 
about  one  hundred  acres  of  corn,  in  a  slovenly  manner.  Part  of  their 
numbers  are  seated  on  the  waters  of  Red  River,  and  the  Indian  predilec 
tion  for  rowing  is  nourished  by  the  frequent  habit  of  passing  to  and  fro. 
This  erratic  habit  is  an  unerring  test  of  the  hunter  state. 

The  Piankashaws  and  Weas  are  of  the  Miami  stock,  and  came  from 
the  waters  of  the  Wabash.  They  are  located  on  255  sections,  immedi 
ately  west  of  the  western  boundary  of  Missouri,  and  about  40  miles 
south  of  the  Konza.  Their  population  is  384,  of  which  222  are  Weas. 
Immediately  west  of  them  are  the  Peorias  and  Kaskaskias  of  the  Illinois 
family.  They  number  132,  and  possess  150  sections,  which  gives  an 
average  of  more  than  a  square  mile  to  each  soul.  Still  west  of  these, 
are  the  Ottowas  of  Ohio,  about  200  in  number,  and  above  them,  a  small 
band  of  61  of  the  Chippewas  of  Swan  Creek  and  Black  River  in  Michi 
gan.  These  locations  are  all  on  the  sources  of  the  Osage  River.  The 
lands  are  fine,  partly  woods  and  partly  prairie,  and  are  easily  cultivated. 
These  six  fragmentary  bands  are  not  dissimilar  in  their  habits  of  living 
and  the  state  of  their  advance  in  agriculture.  They  subsist  themselves 
by  raising  corn  and  cattle  and  hogs.  They  evince  an  advancing  condi 
tion,  and  are  surrounded  by  circumstances  eminently  favorable  to  it. 

The  Shawnees  are  placed  at  the  junction  of  the  Konza  with  the  Mis 
souri,  extending  south  and  west.  They  number  a  little  short  of  1300, 
and  own  a  territory  of  ten  thousand  square  miles,  or  6,400,000  acres. 
They  are  cultivators  and  graziers  in  an  advanced  state  of  improvement. 
Hunting  may  be  occasionally  resorted  to  as  a  sport  or  amusement,  but  it 
has,  years  since,  been  abandoned  as  a  source  of  subsistence.  Indeed, 
the  failure  of  the  game  in  that  region  would  have  rendered  the  latter  im 
perative,  had  not  their  improved  habits  of  industry  led  to  it.  This  tribe 
have  essentiarly  conquered  their  aversion  to  labor.  They  drive  oxen 
and  horses  trained  to  the  plough.  They  split  rails  and  build  fences. 
They  erect  substantial  cabins  and  barns.  They  have  old  corn  in  their 
cribs  from  year  to  year  They  own  good  saddle-horses  and  saddles,  and 

25 


386  INDIAN    POLICY. 

other  articles  of  caparison,  and  a  traveller  or  visitor  will  find  a  good  meal, 
a  clean  bed,  and  kind  treatment  in  their  settlements. 

Next  in  positionJ;o  the  Shawnees  are  the  Delawares,  the  descend 
ants  of  the  ancient  Lenno  Lenapees  of  Pennsylvania.  Allies  and  kin 
dred  in  their  ancient  position,  they  are  still  in  juxtaposition  in  their  new 
Their  tract  begins  at  the  junction  of  the  Konza  and  Missouri  on  the 
north,  and  after  running  up  the  former  to  the  Konza  reserve,  extends 
north  and  west  so  as  to  embrace  it  on  the  north.  It  contains  about 
2450  square  miles,  or  2,208,000  acres.  They  number,  at  the  last  dates 
to  which  we  have  referred,  826  souls,  and  are  on  the  increase.  In  point 
of  habits,  industry,  and  improvement,  they  are  perhaps  not  inferior  to 
any  of  tRe  northern  stocks.  Shielded  from  intemperance  by  their  posi 
tion,  out  of  the  State  limits,  where  they  are  exclusively  under  the  influ 
ence  and  protection  of  Congress  laws,  this  tribe,  together  with  the  entire 
circle  of  Indian  communities  on  that  frontier,  has  been  for  some  years 
in  a  favourable  position  for  recovering  and  developing  their  true  energies. 
They  have,  within  a  few  years,  received  into  their  protection  a  small 
band  (182)  of  the  Monceys,  and  a  smaller  one,  of  74,  of  the  Stockbridges  : 
the  latter,  we  need  hardly  inform  the  intelligent  reader,  are  descendants 
of  the  ancient  Mohegans,  and  the  former  of  the  Minsi  and  Minnisinks, 
who,  at  the  era  of  the  colonization  of  "  No*vja  Belgica"  and  New  York, 
were  respectively  located  on  the  east  and  the  west  banks  of  the  Hudson. 
The  Stockbridges  are  civilized  ;  the  Munsees  less  so,  but  industrious. 
Both  are  poor,  and  without  funds. 

Immediately  succeeding  the  Delawares  are  the  Kickapoos,  an  erratic 
race,  who.  under  various  names,  in  connection  with  the  Foxes  and  Sacs, 
have,  in  good  keeping  with  one  of  their  many  names,*  skipped  over  half 
the  continent,  to  the  manifest  discomfort  of  both  German  and  American 
philologists  and  ethnographers,  who,  in  searching  for  the  so-called  "  Mas- 
cotins,"  have  followed,  so  far  as  their  results  are  concerned,  an  ignis 
fatuus.  The  Kickapoos  have  12,000  square  miles,  or  768,000  acres. 
It  is  a  choice,  rich  tract,  and  they  are  disposed,  with  the  example  of  the 
Delewares  and  Shawnees,  to  profit  by  it.  They  raise  corn  and  cattle, 
hogs  and  horses,  and  are  prosperous.  Their  numbers,  in  1840,  were 
470.  There  is  a  tract  of  200  square  miles,  on  the  Great  and  Little 
Namaha,  assigned  to  the  metifs,  or  descendants  of  mixed  blood,  of  the 
lowas,  Otoes,  and  Missouris.  These  separate  the  removed  and  semi- 
civilized  tribes,  south  and  west  of  the  Missouri,  foom  the  wild  indige 
nes — we  mean  the  Otoes,  the  Pawnees,  the  Omahaws,  and  the  Sioux, 
who  extend  over  vast  tracts,  and  exist  without  any  sensible  improve 
ment  in  their  condition.  The  same  remark  may  be  applied  to  the  Kon- 
zas,  who  are,  however,  hemmed  in  between  the  Delawares  and  the 

*  This  is  said,  by  one  interpretation,  to  mean  Rabbit's  Ghost 


INDIAN    POLICY.  387 

Shawnees,  except  on  their  western  borders.  It  is  no  part  of  our  purpose 
to  consider  these  tribes,  as,  over  and  above  the  influence  of  contiguous 
examples,  they  constitute  no  part  of  the  evidence  affecting  the  general 
question  of  the  plan  of  removal. 

That  this  evidence,  as  now  briefly  sketched,  is  favorable,  and  indeed 
highly  favorable,  to  the  general  condition  and  prosperity  of  the  removed 
tribes,  is,  we  apprehend,  clearly  manifest.  Not  only  have  they  been 
placed  beyond  the  wasting  influence  of  causes  which  oppressed  them, 
within  the  circle  of  the  State  communities  ;  but  they  have  received  in 
exchange  for  their  eastern  lands,  a  territory  which,  as  a  whole,  is  highly 
fertile  and  salubrious.  It  is  a  territory  which  has  required  little  compa 
rative  labor  to  cultivate,  made  up  as  it  is  of  mixed  forests  and  prairies. 
It  is  also,  viewed  in  extenso,  well  watered,  having  those  noble  streams, 
the  Red  River,  the  Arkansas,  the  Konza,  the  Platte,  and  the  Missouri, 
with  their  tributaries,  running  through  it.  The  range  which  it  affords 
for  cattle  and  stock,  and  the  abundance  of  wild  hay,  of  a  nutritious  qual 
ity,  has  proved  very  favorable  to  an  incipient  agricultural  population,  and 
greatly  mitigated  the  ordinary  labors  of  farming  in  northern  climates. 
There  are  no  latitudes  in  North  America  more  favorable  to  the  growth 
of  corn.  The  cotton  plant  has  been  introduced  by  the  Choctaws  and 
Chickasaws,  on  the  banks  of  Red  river.  It  is  a  region  abounding  in  salt 
springs  and  gypsum  beds,  both  which  must  hereafter  be  fully  developed, 
and  will  prove  highly  advantageous.  It  is  above  the  first  or  principal 
rapids  of  the  great  streams  running  down  the  plateau  of  the  Rocky  Moun 
tains,  and  consequently  affords  sites  for  water-mills,  which  are  scarce 
and  almost  unknown  on  the  lower  Arkansas.  There  is,  indeed,  a  com 
bination  of  circumstances,  which  are  calculated  to  favor  the  General 
Government  plan,  and  foster  the  Indians  in  a  general  attempt  at  civilisa 
tion  and  self-government.  And  we  look  with  interest,  and  not  without 
anxiety,  at  the  result  of  the  experiment. 

We  are  aware  that  there  are  trials  before  them,  arising  from  great 
diversity  of  feelings  and  opinions,  and  states  of  civilisation.  Some  of 
the  tribes  ire  powerful,  advanced,  and  wealthy ;  some  feeble  and  poor. 
Education  has  very  unequally  affected  them.  Laws  are  in  their  embryo 
state.  The  Gospel  has  been  but  partially  introduced.  In  clothing  the 
native  councils  with  some  of  the  powers  of  a  congress,  and  regulating 
their  action  by  constitutional  fixity,  there  is  great  care  and  deliberation 
required,  not,  at  once,  to  grasp  too  much.  There  is  perhaps  yet  greater 
danger  in  enlarging  the  authority  of  the  chiefs  and  sagamores  into  some 
thing  like  presidential  dimensions.  The  natives  have  great  powers  of 
imitation ;  and  it  is  to  be  feared  that  they  will  content  themselves  by 
imitating  things  which  they  do  not  fully  understand  or  appreciate.  The 
national  character  of  the  Indians  is  eminently  iuspicious.  There  is  a 
fear  to  trust  others,  even  themselves.  Delegated  power  is  narrowly 


388 


INDIAN    POLICY. 


watched,  and  often  begrudged  when  given.  The  acts  of  tneir  public 
men  are  uniformly  impugned.  The  thought  seems  hardly  to  be  enter 
tained  by  the  common  Indians,  that  an  officer  may  be  guided  by  right 
and  honest  motives.  The  principle  of  suspicion  has,  so  to  say,  eaten  out 
the  Indian  heart.  The  jealousy  with  which  he  has  watched  the  white 
man,  in  all  periods  of  his  history,  is  but  of  a  piece  with  that  with  which  he 
watches  his  chiefs,  his  neighbors,  and  his  very  family.  Exaltation  of 
feeling,  liberality  of  sentiment,  justness  of  reasoning,  a  spirit  of  conces 
sion,  and  that  noble  faith  and  trust  which  arise  from  purity  and  virtue, 
are  the  characteristics  of  civilisation  ;  and  we  should  not  be  disappointed 
if  they  do  not,  all  at  once,  grow  and  flourish  in  these  nascent  communi 
ties.  Still,  our  hopes  predominate  over  our  fears.  Where  so  much  has 
been  accomplished  as  we  see  by  the  Cherokees,  the  Choctaws,  and 
Chickasaws,  and  our  most  advanced  northern  tribes,  we  expect  more. 
From  the  tree  that  bears  blossoms,  we  expect  fruit. 

We  have  no  expectation,  however,  that  without  some  principles  of 
general  political  association,  the  tribes  can  permanently  advance.  To 
assume  the  character  and  receive  the  respect  of  a  commonwealth,  they 
must  have  the  political  bonds  of  a  commonwealth.  Our  Indian  tribes  have 
never  possessed  any  of  these  bonds.  They  are  indeed  the  apparent  rem 
nants  of  old  races,  which  have  been  shivered  into  fragments,  and  never 
found  the  capacity  to  re-unite.  The  constant  tendency  of  all  things, 
in  a  state  of  nature,  has  been  to  divide.  The  very  immensity  of  the  con 
tinent,  its  varied  fertility  and  resources,  and  its  grand  and  wild  features, 
led  to  this.  Hitherto,  the  removed  tribes  in  the  West  have  opposed  an 
associated  government.  They  have  stoutly  and  effectually  resisted  and 
rejected  this  part  of  the  government  scheme.  They  fear,  the  agents 
say,  it  is  some  plan  to  bring  them  under  the  civil  yoke.  Time,  reflec 
tion,  and  education  must  tend  to  correct  this.  More  than  all,  their  civil 
dissensions  must  tend  to  show  the  necessity  of  a  more  enlarged  and  gen 
eral  frame  of  government,  in  which  some  individual  rights  must  be  yield 
ed  to  the  public,  to  secure  the  enjoyment  of  the  rest.  We  think  there 
is  some  evidence  of  the  acknowledgment  of  this  want,  in  their  occasional 
general  councils,  at  which  all  the  tribes  have  been  invited  to  be  present. 
During  the  last  year  (1843)  such  a  convocation  was  held  at  Tahlequah, 
the  seat  of  the  Cherokee  government.  At  this,  there  were  delegates 
present  from  the  Creeks,  Chickasaws,  Delawares,  Shawnees,  Pianka- 
shaws,  Weas,  Osages,  Senecas,  Stockbridges,  Ottowas,  Chippewas 
Peorias,  Potto wattomies,  and  Seminoles.  The  result  of  these  deliben 
tions,  we  are  informed,  was  a  compact  in  which  it  was  agreed : — 

1 .  To  maintain  peace  and  friendship  among  each  other. 

2.  To  abstain  from  the  law  of  retaliation  for  offences. 

3.  To  provide  for  improvements  in  agriculture,  the  arts,  and  mam 
fectures. 


INDIAN    POLICY.  3Q9 

4.  To  provide  against  any  cession  of  their  territory,  in  any  form. 

5.  To  punjsh  crimes,  'committed  by  one   tribe,   in  the  bounds   of 
another. 

6.  To  provide  for  a  general  citizenship  among  the  contracting  parties. 

7.  To  suppress  the  use  or  introduction  of  ardent  spirits. 

These  are  very  mixed  principles,  containing  no  basis  of  a  government ; 
yet,  futile  as  they  are,  we  apprehend  they  contain  no  effective  power 
for  their  enforcement.  A  law  without  a  penalty  is  like  a  rope  of  sand. 
Any  of  these  parties  might  nullify  either  of  these  acts,  by  neglecting 
to  enforce  it.  It  is,  we  apprehend,  the  mere  expression  of  the  popular 
will,  in  a  council,  without  any  binding  obligation  of  the  whole,  or  a  ma 
jority  of  the  tribes,  to  compel  obedience  from  the  delinquent  members. 
It  may,  however,  lead  to  further  deliberations  ;  and  we  cannot  but  regard 
the  movement  as  one  which  betokens  political  forethought  and  purpose. 

Our  greatest  apprehensions,  we  must  confess,  before  closing  this  paper, 
arise  from  the  peculiar  geographical  position  of  the  Indian  territory  with 
relation  to  our  own.  And  this  could  not,  perhaps,  have  been  anticipated 
twenty  years  ago,  when  the  plan  was  formed.  Our  population  is  on  the 
broad  move  west.  Nothing,  it  is  evident,  will  now  repress  them  this  side 
of  the  Pacific.  The  snowy  heights  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  are  already 
scaled  ;  and  we  but  apply  the  results  of  the  past  to  the  future,  in  saying 
that  the  path  which  has  been  trod  by  a  few,  will  be  trod  by  many.  Now, 
the  removed  tribes  are  precisely  in  the  centre  of  this  path.  From  the 
mouth  of  the  Platte,  or  the  Konza,  the  great  highway  to'  the  Oregon 
must  run  west.  Whether  this  new  tide  of  emigration  will  be  successful 
or  unsuccessful,  will  those  who  compose  it  spare  to  trample  on  the  red 
man  ?  Will  they  suddenly  become  kind  to  him,  to  whom  they  have 
been  unkind  ?  Will  they  cease  to  desire  the  lands  which  their  children 
want  ?  Will  they  consent  to  see  the  nation  separated  by  an  Indian 
state  ?  Will  they  award  honors,  nay,  justice,  to  that  state  ?  Twenty 
years  will  answer  these  questions. 


CHOCTAWS. — An  appropriation  of  $113,000  has  been  made  by  Con 
gress  for  the  removal  and  subsistence  of  the  Choctaws  now  in  Missis 
sippi.  There  are  upwards  of  six  thousand  in  our  state,  comprising 
about  eleven  hundred  families.  These  are  under  Colonels  Johnson  and 
Fisher.  The  half  of  the  money  due  the  Indians,  and  to  be  paid  after 
their  landing  in  their  new  homes  in  the  West,  is  to  be  funded.  This 
will  effectually  prevent  all  speculation,  and  enable  the  Indians  to  obtain 
and  hold  what  is  due  them.  Those  now  in  the  state  are  guarded  against 
all  coercive  measures  for  their  removal,  and  left  free  to  go  West  or 
remain  in  their  homes- in  Mississippi. — Southern  Reformer. 


NURSERY  AND  CRADLE  SONGS  OF  THE  FOREST. 


The  tickenagun,  or  Indian  cradle,  is  an  ubject  of  great  pride  with  an 
Indian  mother.  She  gets  the  finest  kind  of  broad  cloth  she  possibly  can 
to  make  an  outer  swathing  band  for  it,  and  spares  no  pains  in  ornament 
ing  it  with  beads  and  ribbons,  worked  in  various  figures.  In  the  lodges 
of  those  who  can  afford  it,  there  is  no  article  more  showy  and  pretty  than 
the  full  bound  cradle.  The  frame  of  the  cradle  itself  is  a  curiosity.  It 
consists  of  three  pieces.  The  vertebral  board,  which  supports  the  back, 
the  hoop  or  foot-board,  which  extends  tapering  up  each  side,  and  the  arch 
or  bow,  which  springs  from  each  side,  and  protects  the  face  and  head. 
These  are  tied  together  with  deer's  sinews  or  pegged.  The  whole  struc 
ture  is  very  light,  and  is  carved  with  a  knife  by  the  men,  out  of  the  linden 
or  maple  tree. 

Moss  constitutes  the  bed  of  the  infant,  and  is  also  put  between  the  child's 
feet  to  keep  them  apart  and  adjust  the  shape  of  them,  according  to  custom. 
A  one-point  blanket  of  the  trade,  is  the  general  and  immediate  \vrapper  of 
the  infant,  within  the  hoop,  and  the  ornamented  swathing  band  is  wound 
around  the  whole,  and  gives  it  no  little  resemblance  to  the  case  of  a  small 
mummy.  As  the  bow  passes  directly  above  the  face  and  eyes,  trinkets 
are  often  hung  upon  this,  to  amuse  it,  and  the  child  gets  its  first  ideas  of 
ornament  from  these.  The  hands  are  generally  bound  down  with  the 
body,  and  only  let  out  occasionally,  the  head  and  neck  being  the  only  part 
which  is  actually  free.  So  bound  and  laced,  hooped  and  bowed,  the  little 
fabric,  with  its  inmate,  is  capable  of  being  swung  on  its'  mother's  back,  and 
carried  through  the  thickest  forest  without  injury.  Should  it  even  fall  no 
injury  can  happen.  The  bow  protects  the  only  exposed  part  of  the  frame. 
And  when  she  stops  to  rest,  or  enters  the  lodge,  it  can  be  set  aside  like  any 
other  household  article,  or  hung  up  by  the  cradle  strap  on  a  peg.  Nothing, 
indeed,  could  be  better  adapted  to  the  exigencies  of  the  forest  life.  And  in 
such  tiny  fabrics,  so  cramped  and  bound,  and  bedecked  and  trinketed, 
their  famous  Pontiacs  and  King  Philips,  and  other  prime  warriors,  were 
once  carried,  notwithstanding  the  skill  they  afterwards  acquired  in  wield 
ing  the  lance  and  war  club. 

The  Indian  child,  in  truth,  takes  its  first  lesson  in  the  art  of  endurance, 
in  the  cradle.  When  it  cries  it  need  not  be  unbound  to  nurse  it.  If  the 
mother  be  young,  she  must  put  it  to  sleep  herself.  If  she  have  younger 
sisters  or  daughters  they  share  this  care  with  her.  If  the  lodge  be  roomy 
and  high,  as  lodges  sometimes  are,  the  cradle  is  suspended  to  the  top  poles 

390 


CRADLE    SONGS    OF    THE    FOREST.  3Qj[ 

to  be  swung.  If  not,  or  the  weather  be  fine,  it  is  tied  to  the  limb  of  a 
tree,  with  small  cords  made  from  the  inner  bark  of  the  linden,  and  a  vi 
bratory  motion  given  to  it  from  head  to  foot  by  the  mother  or  some  atten 
dant.  The  motion  thus  communicated,  is  that  of  the  pendulum  or  com 
mon  swing,  and  may  be  supposed  to  be  the  easiest  and  most  agreeable 
possible  to  the  child.  It  is  from  this  motion  that  the  leading  idea  of  the 
cradle  song  is  taken. 

I  have  often  seen  the  red  mother,  or  perhaps  a  sister  of  the  child,  lei 
surely  swinging  a  pretty  ornamented  cradle  to  and  fro  in  this  way,  in 
order  to  put  the  child  to  sleep,  or  simply  to  amuse  it.  The  following  spe 
cimens  of  these  wild-wood  chaunts,  or  wigwam  lullabys,  are  taken  from 
my  notes  upon  this  subject,  during  many  years  of  familiar  intercourse  with 
the  aboriginals.  If  they  are  neither  numerous  nor  attractive,  placed  side 
by  side  with  the  rich  nursery  stores  of  more  refined  life,  it  is  yet  a  plea 
sant  fact  to  have  found  such  things  even  existing  at  all  amongst  a  people 
supposed  to  possess  so  few  of  the  amenities  of  life,  and  to  have  so  little 
versatility  of  character. 

Meagre  as  these  specimens  seem,  they  yet  involve  no  small  degree  of 
philological  diligence,  as  nothing  can  be  more  delicate  than  the  inflexions 
of  these  pretty  chaunts,  and  the  Indian  woman,  like  her  white  sister,  gives 
a  delicacy  of  intonation  to  the  roughest  words  of  her  language.  The 
term  wa-wa  often  introduced  denotes  a.  wave  of  the  air,  or  the  circle  des 
cribed  by  the  motion  of  an  object  through  it,  as  we  say,  swing,  swing,  a 
term  never  applied  to  a  wave  of  water.  The  latter  is  called  tegoo,  or  if  it 
be  crowned  with  foam,  beta. 

In  introducing  the  subjoined  specimens  of  these  simple  see  saws  of  the 
lodge  and  forest  chaunts,  the  writer  felt,  that  they  were  almost  too  frail  of 
structure  to  be  trusted,  without  a  gentle  hand,  amidst  his  rougher  materials. 
He  is  permitted  to  say,  in  regard  to  them,  that  they  have  been  exhibited  to 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Oakes  Smith,  herself  a  refined  enthusiast  of  the  woof*s, 
and  that  the  versions  from  the  original  given,  are  from  her  chaste  au'-l 
truthful  pen. 

In  the  following  ar,ch  little  song,  the  reader  has  only  to  imagine  a  play 
ful  girl  trying  to  put  a  restless  child  to  sleep,  who  pokes  its  little  head,  with 
black  hair  and  keen  eyes  over  the  side  of  the  cradle,  and  the  girl  sings, 
imitating  its  own  piping  tones. 

Ah  wa  rain  ?  (Who  is  this  ?) 

Ah  wa  nain  ?  ( Wh  o  is  this  ? ) 

Wa  yau  was  sa —  (Giving  light — meaning  the  light  of  the  eye) 

Ko  pwasod.  (On  the  top  of  my  lodge.) 

Who  is  this  ?  who  is  this  ?  eye-light  bringing 
To  the  roof  of  the  lodge  ? 


392  CRADLE    SONGS    OF    THE    FOREST. 

And  then  she  assumes  the  tone  of  the  little  screech  owl,  and  answers — 
Kob  kob  kob  (It  is  I— the  little  owl) 

Nim  be  e  zhau  (Coming,) 

Kob  kob  kob  (It  is  I— the  little  owl) 

Nim  be  e  zhau  (Coming,) 

Kit  che — kit  che.  (Down !  down  !) 

It  is  I,  it  is  I,  hither  swinging,         (wa  wa) 
Dodge,  dodge,  baby  dodge  ; 

And  she  springs  towards  it  and  down  goes  the  little  head.     This  ii 
repeated  with  the  utmost  merriment  upon  both  sides. 

Who  is  this,  who  is  this  eye-light  bringing 

To  the  roof  of  my  lodge  ? 
It  is  I,  it  is  I,  hither  swinging, 

Dodge,  dodge,  baby  dodge. 

Here  is  another,  slower  and  monotonous,  but  indicating  the  utmost 
maternal  content : 

Swinging,  swinging,  lul  la  by, 

Sleep,  little  daughter  sleep, 
'Tis  your  mother  watching  by, 

Swinging,  swinging  she  will  keep, 
Little  daughter  lul  la  by. 

'Tis  your  mother  loves  you  dearest, 

Sleep,  sleep,  daughter  sleep, 
Swinging,  swinging,  ever  nearest, 

Baby,  baby,  do  not  weep ; 
Little  daughter,  lul  la  by. 

Swinging,  swinging,  lul  la  by, 

Sleep,  sleep,  little  one, 
And  thy  mother  will  be  nigh — 

Swing,  swing,  not  alone — 
Little  daughter,  lul  la  by. 

This  of  course  is  exceedingly  simple,  but  be  it  remembered  these 
chaunts  are  always  so  in  the  most  refined  life.  The  ideas  are  the  same, 
that  of  tenderness  and  protective  care  only,  the  ideas  being  few,  the  lan 
guage  is  in  accordance.  To  my  mind  it  has  been  a  matter  of  extreme 
interest  to  observe  how  almost  identical  are  the  expressions  of  affection  in 
all  states  of  society,  as  though  these  primitive  elements  admit  of  no  pro 
gress,  but  are  perfect  in  themselves.  The  e-we-yea  of  the  Indian  woman 
is  entirely  analogous  to  the  lul  la  by  of  our  language,  and  will  be  seen  to 
be  exceedingly  pretty  in  itself. 


CRADLE    SONGS    OF    THE    FOREST.  393 

2.  The  original  words  of  this,  with  their  literal  import,  are  also  added, 
to  preserve  the  identity. 

(a.) 

Wa  wa — wa  wa — wa  we  yea,     (Swinging1,  twice,  lullaby.) 
Nebaun — nebaun — nebaun,     (Sleep  thou,  tkrice.) 
Nedaunis-ais,  e  we  yea,     (Little  daughter,  lullaby.) 
Wa  wa — wa  wa — wa  wa,     (Swinging,  thrice.) 
Nedaunis-ais,  e  we  yea,     (Little  daughter  lullaby.) 

<b.) 

Keguh,  ke  gun  ah  wain  e  ma,     (Your  mother  cares  for  you.) 
Nebaun — nebaun — nebaun,  e  we  yea,     (Sleep,  thrice,  lullaby.) 
Kago,  saigizze-kain,  nedaunis-ais,    (Do  not  fear,  my  little  daughter.) 
Nebaun — nebaun — nebaun,     (Sleep,  thrice.) 
Kago,  saigizze-kain,  wa  wa,  e  we  yea,     (third  line  repeated.) 

(c.) 

Wa  wa — wa  wa — wa  we  yea,     (Swinging,  twice,  lullaby.) 
Kaween  neezheka  kediausee,     (Not  alone  art  thou.) 
Ke  kan  nau  wai,ne  me  go,  suhween,  (Your  mother  }s  caring  for  you.) 
Nebaun — nebaun — nedaunis-ais,     (Sleep,  sleep,  my  little  daughter.) 
Wa  wa — wa  wa — wa  we  yea,     (Swinging,  &c.  lullaby.) 
Nebaun — nebaun — nebaun,     (Sleep!  sleep!  sleep.*) 

THE    HARE   AND    THE    LYNX. 

3.  The  story  of  the  Wabose,  (Hare,)  and  the  Pighieu,  (Lynx,)  will  at 
once  remind  the  reader  of  the  so  often  recited  tale  of  little  Red  Riding 
Hood,  in  which  the  reciter  imitates  the  tones  of  the  wolf,  and  the  little  nur 
sery  listener  hears  with  a  growing  amazement,  and  starts  as  if  he  felt 
the  real  wolf's  teeth  at  the  close. 

This  story  is  partly  spoken  and  partly  sung.  The  Teller  imitating  al 
ternately  the  Hare,  and  its  enemy,  the  Lynx. 

There  was  once,  she  says,  a  little  Hare  living  in  the  lodge  with  its  grand 
mother,  who  was  about  to  send  it  back  to  its  native  land.  When  it  had 
gone  but  a  little  way,  a  Lynx  appeared  in  the  path,  and  began  to  sing, 

*  These  translations  are  entirely  literal — the  verbs  to  "  sleep"  and  to  "  fear,"  requir 
ing  the  imperative  mood,  second  person,  present  tense,  throughout.  In  rendering  the  term 
"  wa-wa"  in  the  participial  form  some  douht  may  exist,  but  this  has  been  terminated  by  the 
idea  of  the  existing  motion,  which  is  clearly  implied,  although  the  word  is  not  marked 
by  the  usual  form  of  the  participle  in  ing.  The  phrase  lul-la-by,  is  the  only  one  in  our 
language,  which  conveys  the  evident  meaning  of  the  choral  term  e-we-yea.  The  sub 
stantive  verb  is  wanting,  in  the  first  line  of  b.  and  the  third  of  c.  in  the  two  forms  of 
the  verb,  to  care,  or  take  care  of  a  person ;  but  it  is  present  in  the  phrase  "  kediausee" 
in  the  second  line  of  c.  These  facts  are  stated,  not  that  they  are  of  the  slightest  inte 
rest  to  the  common  reader,  but  that  they  may  be  examined  by  philologists,  or  persona 
curious  in  the  Indian  grammar. 


394  CRADLE    SONGS    OF    THE    FOREST. 

Where  pretty  white  one  ? 
Where  little  white  one, 
Where  do  you  go  ? 

Tshwee  !  tshwee !  tshwee !  tshwee  !  cried  the  Hare,  and  ran  back  to 
its  grandmother.  "  See,  grandmother,"  said  the  timid  little  creature, 
"  what  the  Lynx  is  saying  to  me,"  and  she  repeated  the  song.  "  Ho ! 
Nosis,"  that  is  to  say,  courage  my  grandchild,  run  along,  and  tell  him  you 
are  going  home  to  your  native  land:  so  the  Hare  went  back  and  be 
gan  to  sing, 

To  the  point  of  land  I  roam, 
For  there  is  the  white  one's  home, — 
Whither  I  go. 

Then  the  Lynx  looked  at  the  trembling  Hare,  and  began  to  sing, 

Little  white  one,  tell  me  why 
Like  to  leather,  thin  and  dry, 
Are  your  pretty  ears  ? 

Tshwee !  tshwee  !  tshwee  !  tshwee !  cried  the  Hare,  and  she  ran  back 
to  her  grandmother,  and  repeated  the  words.  "  Go  Nosis,  and  tell  him 
your  uncles  fixed  them  so,  when  they  came  from  the  South."  So 
the  Hare  ran  back  and  sang, 

From  the  south  my  uncles  came, 
And  they  fixed  my  ears  the  same, — 
Fixed  my  slender  ears. 

and  then  the  Hare  laid  her  pink  ears  upon  her  shoulders,  and  was  about 
to  go  on,  but  the  Lynx  began  to  sing  again, — 

Why,  why  do  you  go  away  ? 
Pretty  white  one,  can't  you  stay  ? 
Tell  me  why  your  little  feet, 
Are  made  so  dry  and  very  fleet? 

Tshwee !  tshwee !  tshwee  !  tshwee  !  said  the  poor  little  Hare,  and  she 
ran  back  again  to  the  lodge  to  ask  again.  "Ho !  Nosis !"  said  the  grand 
mother,  who  was  old  and  tired,  "  do  not  mind  him,  nor  listen  to  him,  nor 
answer  him,  but  run  on." 

The  Hare  obeyed,  and  ran  as  fast  as  she  could.  When  she  came  to 
the  spot  where  the  Lynx  had  been,  she  looked  round,  but  there  was  no 
one  there,  and  she  ran  on.  But  the  Lynx  had  found  out  all  about  the 
little  Hare,  and  knew  she  was  going  across  to  the  neck  of  land  ;  and  he 
had  nothing  to  do  but  reach  it  first,  and  waylay  her  ;  which  he  did :  and 
when  the  innocent  creature  came  to  the  place,  and  had  got  almost  home, 
*he  Lynx  sprang  out  of  the  thicket  and  eat  her  up. 


CRADLE    SONGS    OF    THE    FOREST. 


395 


The  original  chant,  omitting  the  narrative  part  as  given  above,  runs  in 
(his  fashion,  word  for  word. 


Lynx.       Tah  kau 

Tah  hau 

Wa  hose 

Wa  boss 

Ke  te  e  zha 
Hare.        Na  kvva  oushing 

Ain  dah  nuk  e  aum  baun 

In  de  e  zha 
Lynx.       Au  neen 

Au  neen 

A  nau  be  kaus  o  yun  aig 

Kish  ke  mun  ing 

Ish  o  tow  ug  a  una, 
Hare.        Nish  ish  sha  ug 

0  sha  wun  e  nong 
Ke  e  zha  waud 
Ningee  aizh  e  goob  un  eeg 

Lynx.  Tah  kau 
Tah  kau 
Wa  hose 
Wa  bose 
Ke  de  e  zha 
Au  neen 

Na  naub  o  kos  o  yun 
Kish  ke  mun  a, 

1  izh  e  zida  una, 


(where  ah  !) 

(where  ah !) 

(little  white  one) 

(little  white  one) 

(are  you  going?) 

(to  the  point  of  land) 

(in  my  native  country) 

(I  go.) 

(what!) 

(what!) 

(causes  it,) 

(why  like  stripes  of  leather) 

(are  your  ears  ?) 

(my  uncles,) 

(when  from  the  south) 

(they  came,) 

(they  did  fix  me  so.) 

(where  ah !) 

(where  ah ! ) 

(little  white  one,) 

(little  white  one,) 

(are  you  going?) 

(why?) 

(look  they  so,) 

(like  dry  bits  of  leather,) 

(your  feet  ha!) 


4.    THE   KITE   AND   THE   EAGLE. 

This  is  a  specimen  of  Indian  satire.  The  coward  is  boastful  when 
there  is  no  danger:  pretension  succeeds  in  the  absence  of  real  merit!  A 
Kite  was  boasting  how  high  he  could  fly,  and  ventured  to  speak  dis 
paragingly  of  the  eagle,  not  knowing  that  the  latter  overheard  him.  He 
began  to  sing  in  a  loud  voice, 

I  upward  fly 
I !  I  alone  disdain  the  air 
Till  I  hang  as  by  a  hair 

Poised  in  the  sky. 

The  Eagle  answers  disdainfully,  looking  down  from  a  branch  far 
above  the  Kite, 


396  CRADLE    SONGS    OP    THE    FOREST. 

Who  mounts  the  sky  ? 
Who  is  this,  with  babbling-  tongue 
As  he  had  on  the  storm-cloud  hung, 

Who  flies  so  high  ? 

The  Kite  in  a  shrinking-,  feeble  voice, 
The  great  Khakake 
I've  sometimes  thought  he  flew  so  high 
That  he  must  see  within  the  sky 
The  dawn  awake. 

The  Eagle  despises  him,  and  yet  cannot  forbear  to  answer. 

I  spurn  you  all,  ye  prating  throng 
How  often  have  I  passed  ye  by 
When  my  broad  pinions  fleet  and  strong, 
Soared  up  where  leapt  the  thunder  cry ! 
Nor  ye  with  feeble  wing  might  dare, 
Those  hill-tops  high,  to  mount  in  air. 

and  he  soared  off,  up,  up  into  the  sky  till  the  boaster  could  not  behold 
him.  But  no  sooner  was  the  Kite  left  alone  to  himself  than  he  began  to 
sing  again  so  as  to  be  heard  on  every  side, 

I  upward  fly 
I,  I  alone  disdain  the  air 
Till  I  hang  as  by  a  hair 

Poised  in  the  sky. 

Literally  thus. 

Kite.        Neen  a  (I  alone) 

Neen  a  (I  alone) 

Ta  wa  e  ya  (can  go  up) 

Bai  bwau  j  , 

/  (so  as  to  seem  as  if  hanging 
As  shau  dau  \  v 

-ITT    i  (  DV a  nair 

Wa  ke  ge  nauri       ) 

O  shau  wush  ko  geezhig  oong  a     (from  the  blue  sky.) 
Eagle.       Au  wa  nain  (Who  is  this?) 

Au  wa  nain  (Who  is  this  ?) 

Tshe  mud  je  wa  wa    (with  babbling  tongue,  who  boasts) 
Ke  pirn  o  saing.          (of  flying  so  high  ?) 

Kite  (shrinkingly)  replies,  "  Oh  I  was  only  singing  of  the  great  Kha 
kake,  it  is  he  who  is  said  to  fly  so  high." 

Eagle  disdainfully  replies,  "  Tshe  mud  je  wa  wa,  that  is  great  bab 
bler,  or  bad-tongue,  you  are  below  my  notice,"  &,c.,  and  soars  aloft. 

Kite,  resuming  its  boasting  tone,  as  soon  as  the  eagle  is  out  of  hearing. 


CRADLE    SONGS    OF   THE    FOREST.  397 

Neen  a  (I  alone  &c.,  the  whole  being  a 

Neen  a  repetition  of  the  first  part.) 

Ta  we  ya 

Bai  bwau 

As  shau  dau 

Wa  ke  ge  naun, 

O  shau  wush  ko,  geezhig  oong  a. 

5.    THE  RAVEN  AND   WOODPECKER. 

A  still  farther  view  of  Indian  manners  and  opinions  is  hid  under  this 
simple  chant.  Opinion  among  the  forest  race,  makes  the  whole  animated 
creation  cognizant  and  intelligent  of  their  customs. 

A  young  married  woman  is  supposed  to  go  out  from  the  lodge,  and 
busy  herself  in  breaking  up  dry  limbs,  and  preparing  wood,  as  if  to  lay 
in  a  store  for  a  future  and  approaching  emergency. 

A  raven,  perched  on  a  neighbouring  tree,  espies  her,  at  her  work,  and 
begins  to  sing  ;  assuming  the  expected  infant  to  be  a  boy. 
In  dosh  ke  zhig  o  mun 
In  dosh  ke  zhig  o  mun 
In  dosh  ke  zhig  o  mun 

My  eyes !  my  eyes !  my  eyes !  Alluding  to  the  boy  (and  future  man) 
killing  animals  as  well  as  men,  whose  eyes  will  be  left,  as  the  singer  anti 
cipates,  to  be  picked  out  by  ravenous  birds.  So  early  are  the  first  notions 
of  war  implanted. 

A  woodpecker,  sitting  near,  and  hearing  this  song,  replies  ;  assuming 
the  sex  of  the  infant  to  be  a  female. 

Ne  mos  sa  mug  ga 
Ne  mos  sa  mug  ga 
Ne  mos  sa  mug  ga. 

My  worms  !  my  worms  !  my  worms  !  Alluding  to  the  custom  of  the 
female's  breaking  up  dry  ana  dozy  wood,  out  of  which,  it  could  pick  ils 
favourite  food,  being  the  mosa  or  wood-worm. 

Want  of  space  induces  the  writer  to  defer,  to  a  future  number,  the  re 
mainder  of  his  collection  of  these  cradle  and  nursery  chants.  They  con 
stitute  in  his  view,  rude  as  they  are.  and  destitute  of  metrical  attractions, 
a  chapter  in  the  history  of  the  human  heart,  in  the  savage  phasis,  which 
deserves  to  be  carefully  recorded.  It  has  fallen  to  his  lot,  to  observe  more 
perhaps,  in  this  department  of  Indian  life,  than  ordinary,  and  he  would  not 
acquit  himself  of  his  duty  to  the  race,  were  he  to  omit  these  small  links 
out  of  their  domestic  and  social  chain.  The  tie  which  binds  the  mother 
to  the  child,  in  Indian  life,  is  a  very  strong  one,  and  it  is  conceived  to 
admit  of  illustration  in  this  manner.  It  is  not  alone  in  the  war-path  and 


398 


CRADLE    SONGS    OF    THE    FOREST. 


the  council,  that  the  Red  Man  is  to  be  studied.  To  appreciate  his  whole 
character,  in  its  true  light,  he  must  be  followed  into  his  lodge,  and  viewed 
in  his  seasons  of  social  leisure  and  retirement.  If  there  be  any  thing 
warm  and  abiding  in  the  heart  or  memory  of  the  man,  when  thus  at  ease, 
surrounded  by  his  family,  it  must  come  out  here ;  and  hence,  indeed,  the 
true  value  of  his  lodge  lore,  of  every  kind. 

It  is  out  of  the  things  mental  as  well  as  physiological,  that  pertain  to 
maternity,  that  philosophy  must,  in  the  end,  construct  the  true  ethnological 
chain,  that  binds  the  human  race,  in  o*ie  comprehensive  system  of  unity. 


LANGUAGES    OF   THE    PACIFIC    ISLANDS. 

The  Polynesian  languages,  like  those  of  the  Algonquin  group  of  North 
America,  have  inclusive  and  exclusive  pronouns  to  express  the  words 
we.)  ours,  and  us.  They  have  also  causative  verbs  such  as,  to  make  afraid, 
to  make  happy,  &c.,  but  while  there  appears  this  analogy  in  grammatical 
principles,  there  are  some  strong  points  of  disagreement,  and  there  appears 
to  be  no  analogy  whatever  in  the  sounds  of  the  language.  There  are 
eight  well  characterized  dialects  in  the  Polynesian  family.  They  are  the 
Tahitian,  the  Owyhee,  [Hawaiian]  Marquesan,  or  Washingtonian,  Aus 
tral  island,  Hervey  island,  Samoan,  Tongatabu,  and  New  Zealand.  In 
seven  of  these,  the  name  for  God  is  Atua,  in  the  eighth,  or  Tongua  dialect, 
it  is  Otua.  Great  resemblances  exist  in  all  the  vocabularies.  Much  of 
the  actual  difference  arises  from  exchanges  of  the  consonants  r  and  1, 
b.  and  s,  and  a  few  others.  They  possess  the  dual  number.  The  scheme 
of  the  pronouns  is  very  complete,  and  provides  for  nearly  all  the  recondite 
distinctions  of  person.  Where  the  vocabulary  fails  in  words  to  designate 
objects  which  were'  unknown  to  them  before  their  acquaintance  with 
Europeans,  the  missionaries  have  found  it  to  fall  in  better  with  the  genius 
of  the  language,  to  introduce  new  words  from  the  Greek,  with  some  modi 
fications.  Thus  they  have  introduced  hipo  for  horse,  arenio  for  lamb, 
areto  for  bread,  and  baptizo  for  baptism.  t> 

To  continue  faithful  during  a  course  of  prosperity,  says  Xenophon,  hath 
nothingiwonderful  in  it,  but  when  any  set  of  men  continue  steadily  attached 
to  friends  in  adversity,  they  ought,  on  that  account,  to  be  eternally  re 
membered. 

There  are  but  two  sources  only,  says  Polybius,  from  whence  any  real 
benefit  can  be  derived,  our  own  misfortunes  and  those  that  have  happened 
to  other  men. 

One  wise  counsel,  says  Euripides,  is  better  than  the  strength  of  many. 


EARLY   SKETCHED    OF    INDIAN   WOMEN.  399 

From  "  New  England  Prospect." 
CHAPTER  XIX. 

OF  THEIR  WOMEN,  THEIR  DISPOSITIONS,  EMPLOYMENTS,  USAGE  BY   THEIR   HUSBANDS,  THEIR 
APPARELL,   AND   MODESTY. 

To  satisfie  the  curious  eye  of  women-readers,  who  otherwise  might 
thinke  their  sex  forgotten,  or  not  worthy  a  record,  let  them  peruse  these 
few  lines,  wherein  they  may  see  their  owne  happinesse,  if  weighed  in  the 
womans  ballance  of  these  ruder  Indians,  who  scorne  the  tuterings  of  their 
wives,  or  to  admit  them  as  their  equals,  though  their  qualities  and  indus 
trious  deservings  may  justly  claime  the  preheminence,  and  command  bet 
ter  usage  and  more  conjugall  esteeme,  their  persons  and  features  being 
every  way  correspondent,  their  qualifications  more  excellent,  being  more 
loving,  pittifull,  and  modest,  milde,  provident,  and  laborious  than  their 
lazie  husbands..  Their  employments  be  many:  First  their  building  of 
houses,  whose  frames  are  formed  like  our  garden-arbours,  something 
more  round,  very  strong  and  handsome,  covered  with  close-wrought  mats 
of  their  owne  weaving,  which  deny  entrance  to  any  drop  of  raine,  tho-ugh 
it  come  both  fierce  and  long,  neither  can  the  piercing  North  winde,  finde 
a  crannie,  through  which  he  can  conveigh  his  cooling  breath,  they  be 
warmer  than  our  English  houses ;  at  the  top  is  a  square  hole  for  the 
smoakes  evacuation,  which  in  rainy  weather  is  covered  with  a  pluver  • 
these  bee  such  smoakie  dwellings,  that  when  there  is  good  fires,  they  are 
not  able  to  stand  upright,  but  lie  all  alon-g  under  the  smoake,  never  using 
any  stooles  or  chaires,  it  being  as  rare  to  see  an  Indian  sit  on  a  stoole  at 
home,  as  it  is  strange  to  see  an  English  man  sit  on  his  heels  abroad. 
Their  houses  are  smaller  in  the  Summer,  when  their  families  be  dispersed, 
by  reason  of  heate  and  occasions.  In  Winter  they  make  some  fiftie  or 
thereescore  foote  long,  fortie  or  fiftie  men  being  inmates  under  one  roofe  ; 
and  as  is  their  husbands  occasion  these  poore  tectonists  are  often  troubled 
like  snailes,  to  carrie  their  houses  on  their  backs  sometimes  to  fishing- 
places,  other  times  to  hunting  places,  after  that  to  a  planting-place,  where 
,t  abides  the  longest :  an  other  work  is  their  planting  of  come,  wherein 
they  exceede  our  English  husband-men,  keeping  it  so  cleare  with  their 
Clamme  shell-hooes,  as  if  it  were  a  garden  rather  than  a  corne-field,  not 
suffering  a  choaking  weede  to  advance  his  audacious  head  above  their  in 
fant  corne,  or  an  undermining  worme  to  spoile  his  spoirnes.  Their  corne 
being  ripe,  they  gather  it,  and  drying  it  hard  in  the  Sunne,  conveigh  it  to 
their  barnes,  which  be  great  holes  digged  in  the  grotind  in  forme  of  a 
brasse  pot,  seeled  with  rinds  of  trees,  wherein  they  put  their  corne,  cover 
ing  it  from  the  inquisitive  search  of  their  gurmandizing  husbands,  who 
would  eate  up  both  their  allowed  portion,  and  reserved  seede,  if  they 
knew  where  to  finde  it.  But  our  hogges  having  found  a  way  to  un- 
hindge  their  barne  doores,  ana  robbe  their  garners,  they  are  glad  to  ira 


400  EARLY   SKETCHES    OF    INDIAN   WOMEN. 

plorc  their  husbands  helpe  to  roule  the  bodies  of  trees  over  their  holes,  to 
prevent  those  pioners,  whose  theeverie  they  as  much  hate  as  their  flesh. 
An  other  of  their  employments  is  their  Summer  processions  to  get  Lob 
sters  for  their  husbands,  wherewith  they  baite  their  hookes  when  they  goe 
a  fishing  for  Basse  or  Codfish.  This  is  an  every  dayes  walke,  be  the 
weather  cold  or  hot,  the  waters  rough  or  calme,  they  must  dive  sometimes 
over  head  and  eares  for  a  Lobster,  which  often  shakes  them  by  their  hands 
with  a  churlish  nippe,  and  bids  them  adiew.  The  tide  being  spent,  they 
trudge  home  two  or  three  miles,  with  a  hundred  weight  of  Lobsters  at 
their  backs,  and  if  none,  a  hundred  scoules  meete  them  at  home,  and  a 
hungry  belly  for  two  days  after.  Their  husbands  having  caught  any  fish, 
they  bring  it  in  their  boates  as  farre  as  they  can  by  water,  and  there  leave 
it ;  as  it  was  their  care  to  catch  it,  so  it  must  be  their  wives  paines  to  fetch 
it  home,  or  fast :  which  done,  they  must  dresse  it  and  cooke  it,  dish  it,  and 
present  it,  see  it' eaten  over  their  shoulders  ;  and  their  loggerships  having 
filled  their  paunches,  their  sweete  lullabies  scramble  for  their  scrappes. 
In  the  Summer  these  Indian  women  when  Lobsters  be  in  their  plenty 
and  prime,  they  drie  them  to  keepe  for  Winter,  erecting  scaffolds  in  the 
hot  sun-shine,  making  fires  likewise  underneath  them,  by  whose  smoake 
the  flies  are  expelled,  till  the  substance  remains  hard  and  drie.  In  this 
manner  they  drie  Basse  and  other  fishes  without  salt,  cutting  them  very 
thinne  to  dry  suddainely,  before  the  flies  spoile  them,  or  the  raine  moist 
them,  having  a  speciall  care  to  hang  them  in  their  smoakie  houses,  in  the 
night  and  dankish  weather. 

In  Summer  they  gather  flagges,  of  which  they  make  Matts  for  houses, 
and  Hempe  and  rushes,  with  dying  stuffe  of  which  they  make  curious 
baskets  with  intermixed  colours  and  portractures  of  antique  Imagerie' 
these  baskets  be  of  all  sizes  from  a  quart  to  a  quarter,  in  which  they  carry 
their  luggage.  In  winter  time  they  are  their  husbunds  Caterers,  trudging 
to  the  Clamm  bankes  for  their  belly  timber,  and  their  Porters  to  lugge 
home  their  Venison  which  their  lazinesse  exposes  to  the  Woolves  till  they 
impose  it  upon  their  wives  shoulders.  They  likewise  sew  their  husbands 
shooes,  and  weave  coates  of  Turkic  feathers,  besides  all  their  ordinary 
household  drudgerie  which  daily  lies  upon  them.  *  * 

*  *  *  *  [Of  the  treatment  of 

babes  the  writer  says]  :  The  young  Infant  being  greased  and  sooted,  wrapt 
in  a  beaver  skin,  bound  to  his  good  behaviour  with  his  feete  upon  a  board 
two  foote  long  and  one  foote  broade,  his  face  exposed  to  all  nipping 
weather  ;  this  iittle  Pappouse  travells  about  with  his  bare  footed  mother 
to  paddle  in  the  ice  Clammbanks  after  three  or  foure  dayes  of  age  have 
sealed  his  passeboard  and  his  mothers  recoverie.  For  their  carriage  it  is 
very  civill,  smiles  being  the  greatest  grace  of  their  mirth  ;  their  musick 
it  lullabies  to  quiet  their  children,  who  generally  are  as  quiet  as  if  they 
had  neither  spleene  or  lungs.  To  hear  one  of  these  Indians  unseene,  a 


EARLY    SKETCHES    OP    INDIAN    WOMEN.  401 

good  eare  might  easily  mistake  their  untaught  voyce  for  the  warbling  of 

a  well  tuned  instrument.      Such   command  have  they  of  their  voices. 

*  ***** 

Commendable  is  their  milde  carriage  and  obedience  to  their  husbands,  not 
withstanding  all  this  their  customarie  churlishnesse  and  salvage  inhu- 
manitie,  not  seeming  to  delight  in  frownes  or  offering  to  word  it  with  their 
lords,  not  presuming  to  proclaime  their  female  superiority  to  the  usurping 
of  the  least  title  of  their  husbands  charter,  but  rest  themselves  content  un 
der  their  helplesse  condition,  counting  it  the  womans  portion  :  since  the 
English  arrivall  comparison  hath  made  them  miserable,  for  seeing  the 
kind  usage  of  the  English  to  their  wives,  they  doe  as  much  condemne 
their  husbands  for  unkindnesse,  and  commend  the  English  for  their  love. 
As  their  husbands  commending  themselves  for  their  wit  in  keeping  their 
wives  industrious,  doe  condemne  the  English  for  their  folly  in  spoyling 
good  working  creatures.  These  women  resort  often  to  the  English 
houses,  where  pares  cum  paribus  congregates  *,  in  Sex  I  meane,  they  do 
somewhat  ease  their  miserie  by  complaining  and  seldome  part  without  a 
releefe :  If  her  husband  come  to  seeke  for  his  Squaw  and  beginne  to  blus 
ter,  the  English  woman  betakes  her  to  her  armes  which  are  the  war 
like  Ladle,  and  the  scalding  liquors,  threatening  blistering  to  the  naked 
runnaway,  who  is  soon  expelled  by  such  liquid  comminations.  In  a  word 
to  conclude  this  womans  historic,  their  love  to  the  English  hath  deserved 
no  small  esteeme,  ever  presenting  them  some  thing  that  is  either  rare  or 
desired,  as  Strawberries,  Hurtleberries,  Rasberries,  Gooseberries,  Cher 
ries,  Plummes,  Fish,  and  other  such  gifts  as  their  poore  treasury  yeelds 
them.  But  now  it  may  be,  that  this  relation  of  the  churlish  and  inhu 
mane  behaviour  of  these  ruder  Indians  towards  their  patient  wives,  may 
confirme  some  in  the  beliefe  of  an  aspersion,  which  I  have  often  heard 
men  cast  upon  the  English  there,  as  if  they  should  learne  of  the  Indians 
to  use  their  wives  in  the  like  manner,  and  to  bring  them  to  the  same  sub 
jection,  as  to  sit  on  the  lower  hand,  and  to  carrie  water  and  the  like 
drudgerie :  but  if  my  own  experience  may  out-ballance  an  ill-grounded 
scandalous  rumour,  I  doe  assure  you,  upon  my  credit  and  reputation,  that 
there  is  no  such  matter,  but  the  women  finde  there  as  much  love,  respect, 
and  ease,  as  here  in  old  England.  I  will  not  deny,  but  that  some  poore 
people  may  carrie  their  owne  water,  and  doe  not  the  poorer  sort  in  Eng 
land  doe  the  same ;  witnesse  your  London  Tankard-bearers,  and  your 
countrie-cottagers  ?  But  this  may  well  be  knowne  to  be  nothing,  but  the 
rancorous  venome  of  some  that  beare  no  good  will  to  the  plantation.  For 
what  neede  they  carrie  water,  seeing  every  one  hath  a  Spring  at  his 
doore,  or  the  Sea  by  his  house?  Thus  much  for  the  satisfaction  of 
women,  touching  this  entrenchment  upon  their  prerogative,  as  also  con 
cerning  the  relation  of  these  Indians  Squawes. 

*  Equals  assembled  with  equals. 
26 


PAWNEE  BARBARITY. 

THAT  the  tribes  west  of  the  Missouri,  and  beyond  the  pale  of  the 
ordinary  influence  of  civilization,  should  retain  some  shocking  customs, 
which,  if  ever  prevalent  among  the  more  favoured  tribes  east  of  the  Mis 
sissippi  and  the  Alleghenies,  have  long  disappeared,  may  be  readily  con 
ceived.  Wild,  erratic  bands,  who  rove  over  immense  plains  on  horseback, 
with  bow  and  lance,  who  plunge  their  knives  and  arrows  daily  into  the 
carcasses  of  the  buffalo,  the  elk  and  the  deer,  and  who  are  accustomed  to 
sights  of  blood  and  carnage,  cannot  escape  the  mental  influence  of  these 
sanguinary  habits,  and  must  be,  more  or  less,  blunted  in  their  conceptions 
and  feelings.  Where  brute  life  is  so  recklessly  taken,  there  cannot  be  the 
same  nice  feeling  and  sense  of  justice,  which  some  of  the  more  favoured 
tribes  possess,  with  respect  to  taking  away  human  life.  Yet,  it  could 
hardly  have  been  anticipated,  that  such  deeds  as  we  are  now  called  upon 
to  notice,  would  have  their  place  even  in  the  outskirts  of  the  farther  "Far 
West,"  and  among  a  people  so  sunk  and  degraded  in  thair  moral  propen 
sities,  as  the  Pawnees.  But  the  facts  are  well  attested. 

In  the  fierce  predatory  war  carried  on  between  the  Pawnees  and  Sioux, 
acts  of  blood  and  retaliation,  exercised  on  their  prisoners,  are  of  frequent 
occurrence.  In  the  month  of  Febuary,  1838,  the  Pawnees  captured  a 
Sioux  girl  only  fourteen  years  of  age.  They  carried  her  to  their  camp 
on  the  west  of  the  Missouri,  and  deliberated  what  should  be  done  with 
her.  It  is  not  customary  to  put  female  captives  to  death,  but  to  make 
slaves  of  them.  She,  however,  was  doomed  to  a  harder  fate,  but  it  was 
carefully  concealed  from  her,  for  the  space  of  some  sixty  or  seventy  day! 
During  all  this  time  she  was  treated  well,  and  had  comfortable  lodging  5 
and  food,  the  same  as  the  rest  enjoyed.  On  the  22nd  of  April,  the  chiefs 
held  a  general  council,  and  when  it  broke  up,  it  was  announced  that  1  er 
doom  was  fixed,  but  this  was  still  carefully  concealed  from  her.  Tnis 
doom  was  an  extraordinary  one,  and  so  far  as  the  object  can  be  deduced, 
from  the  circumstances  and  ceremonies,  the  national  hatred  to  their  ene.nies 
was  indulged,  by  making  the  innocent  non-combatant,  a  sacrifice  to  the 
spirit  of  corn,  or  perhaps,  of  vegetable  fecundity. 

When  the  deliberations  of  the  council  were  terminated,  on  that  day, 
she  was  brought  out,  attended  by  the  whole  council,  and  accompanied  on 
a  visit  from  lodge  to  lodge,  until  she  had  gone  round  the  whole  circle. 
When  this  round  was  finished,  they  placed  in  her  hands  a  small  biljet  of 
wood  and  some  paints.  The  warriors  and  chiefs  then  seated  themselves 
in  a  circle.  To  the  first  person  of  distinction  she  then  handed  this  billet 
of  wood  and  paint;  he  contributed  to  this  offering,  or  sort  of  sacrificial 

402 


PAWNEE    BARBARITY.  403 

charity  some  wood  and  paint,  then  handed  it  to  the  next,  who  did  likewise, 
and  he  passed  it  to  the  next,  until  it  had  gone  the  entire  rounds,  and  each 
one  had  contributed  some  wood  and  some  paint.  She  was  then  conducted 
to  the  place  of  execution.  For  this  purpose  they  had  chosen  an  open 
grassy  glade,  near  a  cornfield,  where  there  were  a  few  trees.  The  spot 
selected  was  between  two  of  these  trees,  standing  about  five  feet  apart,  in 
.he  centre  of  which  a  small  fire  was  kindled,  with  the  wood  thus  ceremo 
niously  contributed.  Three  bars  had  been  tied  across,  from  tree  to  tree, 
above  this  fire,  at  such  a  graded  height,  that  the  points  of  the  blaze, 
when  at  its  maximum,  might  just  reach  to  her  feet.  Upon  this  scaffold 
she  was  compelled  to  mount,  when  a  warrior  at  each  side  of  her  held  fire 
under  her  arm  pits.  When  this  had  been  continued  as  long  as  they  sup 
posed  she  could  endure  the  torture,  without  extinguishing  life,  at  a  given 
signal,  a  band  of  armed  bow-men  let  fly  their  darts,  and  her  body,  at 
almost  the  same  instant,  was  pierced  with  a  thousand  arrows.  These 
were  immediately  withdrawn,  and  her  flesh  then  cut  with  knives,  from 
her  thighs,  arms  and  body,  in  pieces  not  long-er  than  half  a  dollar,  and  put 
into  little  baskets.  All  this  was  done  before  life  was  quite  extinct. 

The  field  of  newly  planted  corn  reached  near  to  this  spot.  This  corn 
had  been  dropped  in  the  hill,  but  not  covered  with  earth.  The  principal 
chief  then  took  of  the  flesh,  and  going  to  a  hill  of  corn,  squeezed  a  drop 
of  blood  upon  the  grains.  This  was  done  by  each  one,  until  all  the 
grains  put  into  the  ground,  had  received  this  extraordinary  kind  of  sprink 
ling. 

This  horrible  cruelty  took  place  in  the  vicinity  of  Council  Bluffs. 
Offers  to  redeem  the  life  of  the  prisoner  had  been  made  by  the  traders,  in 
a  full  council  of  eighty  chiefs  and  warriors,  but  they  were  rejected.  The 
original  narrator  was  an  eye  witness.  He  concludes  his  description  by 
adding,  that  his  wife's  brother,  a  Pawnee,  had  been  taken  prisoner  by  the 
Sioux,  in  the  month  of  June  following,  and  treated  in  the  same  manner. 
Truly,  it  may  be  said  that  the  precincts  of  the  wild  roving  Red  man,  are 
"full  of  the  abodes  of  cruelty." 


Hunting  and  war  are  arts  which  require  to  be  taught.  The  Indian 
youth,  if  they  were  not  furnished  with  bows  and  arrows,  would  never 
learn  to  kill.  The  same  time  spent  to  teach  them  war  and  hunting,  if 
devoted  to  teach  them  letters,  would  make  them  readers  and  writers.  Ed 
ucation  is  all  of  a  piece. 

Example  is  more  persuasive  than  precept  in  teaching  an  Indian.  Tell 
him  that  he  should  never  touch  alcohol,  and  he  may  not  see  clearly  why ; 
but  show  him,  by  your  invariable  practice,  that  you  never  do,  and  he  may 
be  led  to  confide  in  your  admonitions. 


404 


"THE  LOON  UPON  THE  LAKE." 


THE  LOON  UPON  THE  LAKE/' 


BY  E.  F.  HOFFMAN. 
[From  the  Chippewa.*J 

I  LOOKED  across  the  water, 

I  bent  o'er  it  and  listened, 
I  thought  it  was  my  lover, 

My  true  lover's  paddle  glistened. 

Joyous  thus  his  light  canoe  would  the  silver  ripples  wake.— 
But  no  ! — it  is  the  Loon  alone — the  loon  upon  the  lake. 
Ah  me  !  it  is  the  loon  alone — the  loon  upon  the  lake. 

I  see  the  fallen  maple 

Where  he  stood,  his  red  scarf  waving, 
Though  waters  nearly  bury 

Boughs  they  then  were  newly  laving. 
I  hear  his  last  farewell,  as  it  echoed  from  the  brake.— 
But  no,  it  is  the  loon  alone — the  loon  upon  the  lake, 
Ah  me  !  it  is  the  loon  alone — the  loon  upon  the  lake. 

*  Nenemoshain  nindenaindum 
Meengoweugish  abowaugoda 
Anewahwas  mongoduga,  &c.,&c. 


TO   A   BIRD,  SEEN   UNDER    MY   WINDOW   IN   THE    GARDEN. 

By  the  late  Mrs.  H.  R.  SCHOOLCRAFT,  who  was  a  grand  daughter  of  the  war  chief 

WABOJEEO. 

Sweet  little  bird,  thy  notes  prolong, 

And  ease  my  lonely  pensive  hours ; 
I  love  to  list  thy  cheerful  song, 

And  hear  thee  chirp  beneath  the  flowers. 

The  time  allowed  for  pleasures  sweet, 

To  thee  is  short  as  it  is  bright, 
Then  sing  !  rejoice !  before  it  fleet, 

And  cheer  me  ere  you  take  your  flight 


ODJIBWA  SONG. 

THE  following  song,  taken  from  the  oral  traditions  of  the  north,  is  con 
nected  with  a  historical  incident,  of  note,  in  the  Indian  wars  of  Canada. 
In  1759,  great  exertions  were  made  by  the  French  Indian  department, 
under  Gen.  Montcalm,  to  bring  a  body  of  Indians  into  the  valley  of  the 
lower  St.  Lawrence,  and  invitations,  for  this  purpose  reached  the  utmost 
shores  of  Lake  Superior.  In  one  of  the  canoes  from  that  quarter,  which 
was  left  on  their  way  down,  at  the  lake  of  Two  Mountains,  near  tne 
mouth  of  the  Utawas,  while  the  warriors  proceeded  farther,  was  a  Chip- 
pewa  girl  called  Paig-wain-e-osh-e,  or  the  White  Eagle,  driven  by  the 
wind.  While  the  party  awaited  there,  the  result  of  events  at  Gluebec,  she 
formed  an  attachment  for  a  young  Algonquin  belonging  to  the  French 
mission  of  the  Two  Mountains.  This  attachment  was  mutual,  and  gave 
origin  to  the  song,  of  which  the  original  words,  with  a  literal  prose  trans 
lation,  are  subjoined: 

1. 

la  indenaindum 
la  indenaindum 
Ma  kow  we  yah 
Nin  denaindum  we. 

Ah  me!  when  I  think  of  him — when  I  think  of  him — my  sweetheart, 
my  Algonquin. 

II. 

Pah  bo  je  aun 
Ne  be  nau  be  koning 
Wabi  megwissun 
Nene  mooshain  we 

Odishquagumee. 

As  I  embarked  to  return,  he  put  the  white  wampum  around  my  neck 
— a  pledge  of  truth,  my  sweetheart,  my  Algonquin. 

HI. 

Keguh  wejewin 
Ain  dah  nuk  ke  yun 
Ningee  egobun 
Nene  mooshain  we 

Odishquagumee. 

I  shall  go  with  you,  he  said,  to  your  native  country — 1  shall  go  with 
you,  my  sweetheart — my  Algonquin. 

405 


4U6  ODJIBWA   SONG. 

• 

IV. 

Nia!  nin  de  nah  dush  "* 

Wassahwud  gushuh 
Aindahnuk  ke  yaun 
Ke  yau  ninemooshai  wee 

Odishquagumee. 

Alas!  I  replied — my  native  country  is  far,  far  away — my  sweetheart; 
my  Algonquin. 

V. 

Kai  aubik  oween 
Ain  aube  aunin 
Ke  we  naubee 
Ne  ne  mooshai  we 

Odishquagumee. 

When  I  looked  back  again — where  we  parted,  he  was  still  looking 
after  me,  my  sweetheart  ;  my  Algonquin. 

VI. 

Apee  nay  we  ne  bow 
Unishe  bun 
Aungwash  agushing 
Ne  ne  mooshai  we 

Odishquagumee. 

He  was  still  standing  on  a  fallen  tree — that  had  fallen  into  the  water 
my  sweetheart ;  my  Algonquin. 

VII. 

Nia  !  indenaindum 
Nia  !    in  denaindum 
Ma  kow  we  yuh 
Nin  de  nain  dum  we 

Odishquagumee. 

Alas  !  when  I  think  of  him — when  I  think  of  him — It  is  when  I 
think  of  him  ;  my  Algonquin. 


Eloquence  on  the  part  of  the  speakers,  is  not  so  much  the  result  of 
superior  force  of  thought,  as  of  the  strong  and  clear  positions  of  right,  in 
which  they  have  been  placed  by  circumstances.  It  is  the  force  of  truth, 
by  which  we  are  charmed. 

An  Indian  war  song,  sung  in  public,  by  the  assembled  warriors  on  the 
outbreak  of  hostilities,  is  a  declaration  of  war. 


407 


NIAGARA,  AN  ALLEGORY. 

An  old  grey  man  on  a  mountain  lived, 
•  He  had  daughters  four  and  one, 
.  And  a  tall  bright  lodge  of  the  betula  bark 
That  glittered  in  the  sun. 

He  lived  on  the  very  highest  top, 

For  he  was  a  hunter  free, 
Where  he  could  spy  on  the  clearest  day, 

Gleams  of  the  distant  sea. 

Come  out — come  out !  cried  the  youngest  one, 

Let  us  off  to  look  at  the  sea, 
And  out  they  ran  in  their  gayest  robes, 

And  skipped  and  ran  with  glee. 

Come  Su,*  come  Mi,f  come  Hu3J  come  Sa,§ 

Cried  laughing  little  Er,|| 
Let  us  go  to  yonder  broad  blue  deep, 

Where  the  breakers  foam  and  roar. 

And  on  they  scampered  by  valley  and  wood, 

By  earth  and  air  and  sky, 
Till  they  came  to  a  steep  where  the  bare  rocks  stood. 

In  a  precipice  mountain  high. 

Inya  !^[  cried  Er,  here's  a  dreadful  leap, 

But  we  are  gone  so  far, 
That  if  we  flinch  and  return  in  fear, 

Nos,**  he  will  cry  ha !  ha ! 

Now  each  was  clad  in  a  vesture  light, 

That  floated  far  behind, 
With  sandals  of  frozen  water  drops, 

And  wings  of  painted  wind. 

And  down  they  plunged  with  a  merry  skip^ 

Like  birds  that  skim  the  plain ; 
And  hey !  they  cried,  let  us  up  and  try 

And  down  the  steep  again. 

And  up  and  down  the  daughters  skipped, 

Like  girls  on  a  holiday, 
And  laughed  outright,  at  the  sport  and  foam. 

They  called  Niagara. 

If  ye  would  see  a  sight  so  rare, 

Where  nature's  in  her  glee, 
Go,  view  the  spot  in  the  wide  wild  west, 

The  land  of  the  brave  and  free. 

But  mark — their  shapes  are  only  seen    ' 

In  fancy's  deepest  play, 
But  she  plainly  shews  their  wings  and  feet 

In  the  dancing  sunny  spray. 

*  Superior.  t  Michigan.  J  Huron.  §  St.  Claro.  fl  E««. 

U  An  exclamation  of  wonder  and  surprize. — Odj.  Ian.  **  My  father. — ib 


A   PSALM. 


OR   SUPPLICATION   FOR    MERCY.    AND    A   CONFESSION   OF    SIN,    ADDRESSED 
TO   THE   AUTHOR   CF   LIFE,    IN   THE    OD JIB WA- ALGONQUIN   TONGUE. 

BY  THE  LATE  MRS.  HENRY  R.  SCHOOLCRAFT. 

1.  Gaitshe  minno  pimaudizzeyun,  Gezha  Monedo,  gezhigong  aibeyun 

2.  Keen,  maumauwaikumig  waozhemigoyun. 

3.  Keen,  kah  ozhieeyong,  keen  gaugegaikumig,  kai  nuhwauneme- 
yong,  aikoobemaudizzeyong. 

4.  Keen,  kainuhvvaubaimeyong,  geezhig  tibbikuk  tibishko. 

5.  Keen,  Keozheahn-geezhik-geezis,  dibbik-geezis,  aunungug  gia. 

6.  Keen,  kegeozhetoan  tshe  kimmevvung,  gia  tshe  annimikeeaug,  tshe 
sai  sai  yung,  tshe  sogepoog  gia. 

7.  Keen  kau  ozheiyong  tshe  unnewegauboweyaung,  kakinnuk  kau 
ozheudjig  akeeng. 

8.  Kee,   gemishemin    odjechaugwug,    wekaukaine    bosigoog.      Kee 
gemishemin  kebauzhigo  kegwiss  Jesus  Christ,  tshe  oonjenebood  neeno- 
wind. 

9.  Mozhug  issuh  nemudjee-inaindumin,  kagait  mozhug  nemudjee-eki- 
domin  ;  nahvvudj  neminwaindumin  tshe  mudjee-dodumaung. 

10.  Kagaitego  me  kaisoondje  izhauyaungebun  mudjee  Moneto. 

11.  Showainemishinaum,  Gezha  Monedo. 

12.  Showainemishinaum,  Jesus  Christ. 

13.  Maishkoodjetoan  ne  mudjee-odai-enaunin. 

14.  Meezhishenaun  edush  oushke  odaiyun. 

15.  Apaidush  nah  saugeigsayun,  gia  dush  todumaung  kau  izhe  gugeek- 
wayun. 

16.  Me  ozhissinaum  odaiyun  tshe  minwamdumaung,  tshe  annahme 
autogoyun. 

17.  Showainim  neendunahwaitmaugunenaunig  unishenaubaig. 

18.  Showainim  kukinnuh  menik  pemaudizzejig  akeeng. 

19.  Showainemishenaum  kaidokoo  pemaudizzeyong,  appe  dush  nee- 
boyong. 

20.  Showainemishenaum  neen  jeechaugonaunig  tshe  izhowaud  keen. 

21.  Kaugegaikumig    edush  tshe   menawaunegooz  eyong   ozaum  ne 
mudje-pemaudizzewin  auno  unnahmeyauyongin. 

22.  Kauween  edush  kewee  pemaudizzewin,  kishpin  aitah  appainemo 
yong  Kegwiss  Jesus  Christ. 

23.  Aioetainemud  kegwiss  Showainemishenaum.    Kunnah  gai  kunnab 

408 


A  PSALM.  409 

TRANSLATION. 

1.  Great  good  author  of  Life,  Gezha  Monedo,  abiding  in  the  heavens 

2.  Thou  hast  made  all  things. 

3.  Thou  art  the  giver, — Thou,  the  everlasting  preserver  of  life. 

4.  Thou  hast  guarded  me,  by  day  and  by  night. 

5.  Thou  hast  made  the  sun  and  moon,  and  the  stars. 

6.  Thou  makest  the  rain,  the  thunder,  the  hail,  and  the  snows. 

7.  Thou  didst  make  man  to  stand  upright,  and  has  placed  him  over  all 
that  is  on  the  earth. 

8.  Thou  hast  given  us  souls,  that  will  never  die.     Thou  hast  sent  thy 
son  Jesus  Christ  to  die  for  us. 

9.  Continually  are  our  thoughts  evil,  and  truly,  our  words  are  evil  con 
tinually. 

10.  Verily,  we  deserve  punishment  with  the  Spirit  of  Evil. 

11.  Show  pity  on  us,  Gezha  Monedo. 

12.  Show  pity  on  iis,  Jesus  Christ. 

13.  Reform  our  wicked  hearts. 

14.  Give  us  new  hearts. 

15.  May  we  love  thee  with  all  our  hearts,  and  by  our  acts  obey  thy 
precepts,  (or  sayings.) 

16.  Give  us  hearts  to  delight  in  prayer. 

17.  Show  mercy  to  all  our  kindred,  unishenaubaig,  or  common  people, 
(means  exclusively  the  Red  Men.) 

18.  Show  mercy  to  all  who  live  on  the  earth. 

19.  Pity  us,  and  befriend  us,  living  and  dying. 

20.  And  receive  our  souls  to  thyself. 

21.  Ever  to  dwell  in  thine  abiding  place  of  happiness. 

22.  Not  in  our  own  frail  strength  of  life,  do  we  ask  this ;  but  alone  in 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ. 

23.  Grant  us  thy  mercy,  in  the  name  of  thy  Son.    So  be  it  ever. 
Those  who  take  an  interest  in  the  structure  of  the  Indian  languages, 

may  regard  the  above,  as  an  improvised  specimen  of  the  capacity  of  this 
particular  dialect  for  the  expression  of  scripture  truth.  The  writer,  who 
from  early  years  was  a  member  of  the  church,  had  made  a  translation  of 
the  Lords  prayer,  and,  occasionally,  as  delicate  and  declining  health  per 
mitted,  some  other  select  pieces  from  the  sacred  writings,  and  hymns,  of 
which,  one  or  two  selections  may,  perhaps,  hereafter  be  made. 


The  distinction  between  the  active  and  passive  voice,  in  the  Odjibwa 
language,  is  formed  by  the  inflection  ego. 

Ne  sageau,  I  love. 

Ne  sageau-e^o,  I  am  loved. 


TRADITIONARY  WAR  SONGS 


OF   THE 


ODJIBWA  ALGONQUINS. 


WHOEVER  has  heard  an  Indian  war  song,  and  witnessed  an  Indian  war 
dance,  must  be  satisfied  that  the  oc-casion  wakes  up  all  the  fire  and  energy 
of  the  Indian's  soul.  His  flashing  eye — his  muscular  energy,  as  he 
begins  the  dance — his  violent  gesticulation  as  he  raises  his  war-cry — the 
whole  frame  and  expression  of  the  man,  demonstrate  this.  And  long 
before  ft  comes  to  his  turn  to  utter  his  stave,  or  portion  of  the  chant,  his 
mind  has  been  worked  up  to  the  most  intense  point  of  excitement :  his 
imagination  has  pictured  the  enemy — the  ambush  and  the  onset — the  vic 
tory  and  the  bleeding  victim,  writhing  under  his  prowess  :  in  imagination 
he  has  already  stamped  him  under  foot,  and  torn  off  his  reeking  scalp : 
he  has  seen  the  eagles  hovering  in  the  air,  ready  to  pounce  on  the  dead 
carcass,  as  soon  as  the  combatants  quit  the  field. 

It  would  require  strong  and  graphic  language  to  give  descriptive  ut 
terance,  in  the  shape  of  song,  to  all  he  has  fancied,  and  seen  and  feels  on 
the  subject.  He,  himself,  makes  no  such  effort.  Physical  excitement 
has  absorbed  his  energies.  He  is  in  no  mood  for  calm  and  connected 
descriptions  of  battle  scenes.  He  has  no  stores  of  measured  rhymes  to 
fall  back  on.  All  he  can  do  is  to  utter  brief,  and  often  highly  symbolic 
expressions  of  courage — of  defiance — of  indomitable  rage.  His  feet 
stamp  the  ground,  as  if  he  would  shake  it  to  its  centre.  The  inspiring 
drum  and  mystic  rattle  communicate  new  energy  to  every  step,  while 
they  serve,  by  the  observance  of  the  most  exact  time,  to  concentrate  his 
energy.  His  very  looks  depict  the  spirit  of  rage,  and  his  yells,  uttered 
quick,  sharp,  and  cut  off  by  the  application  of  the  hand  to  the  mouth,  are 
startling  and  horrific. 

Under  such  circumstances,  a  few  short  and  broken  .sentences  are 
enough  to  keep  alive  the  theme  in  his  mind  ;  and  he  is  not  probably  con 
scious  of  the  fact,  that,  to  an  unimpassioned  and  calm  listener,  with  note 
book  in  hand,  there  is  not  sufficient  said  to  give  coherence  to  the  song. 
And  that  such  a  song,  indeed,  under  the  best  auspices,  is  a  mere  wild 
rhapsody  of  martial  thought,  poured  out  from  time  to  time,  in  detached 
sentences,  which  are,  so  to  say,  cemented  into  lines  by  a  flexible  chorus 
and  known  tune.  The  song  and  the  music  are  all  of  a  piece.  Vivid 
and  glowing,  and  poetic  pictures  will  float  in  such  a  train,  and  often  strike 

410 


TRADITIONARY   WAR   SONGS.  411 

the  imagination  by  their  graphic  truth  and  holdness ;  but  the  poet  must 
look  elsewhere  for  finished  melody,  and  refined  and  elaborate  composition. 
The  Indian  is  to  be  viewed  here,  as  elsewhere,  as  being  in  the  highest 
state  of  his  physical,  not  of  his  mental  phasis.  Such  glimmerings  may 
however  be  picked  out  of  these  warlike  rhapsodies,  as  denote  that  he  is  of 
a  noble  and  independent  tone  of  thinking.  We  shall  at  least  en-able  the 
reader  to  judge.  The  following  specimens,  which  have  been  derived  from 
actors  in  the  depths  of  the  forest,  consist  of  independent  songs,  or  stanzas, 
each  of  which  is  sung  by  a  different  or  by  the  same  warrior,  while  the 
dance  is  in  progress.  The  words  have  been  taken  down  from  a  young 
Chippewa  warrior  of  lake  Superior,  of  the  name  of  Che  che-gwy-ung. 
It  will  be  perceived  that  there  is  a  unity  in  the  theme,  while  each  warrior 
exercises  the  freest  scope  of  expression.  This  unity  I  have*favoured  by 
throwing  out  such  stanzas  as  mar  it,  and  afterwards  arranging  them 
together. 

WAR  SONG. 

a.  In  beginning  this  song  the  warrior  has  turned  his  eyes  to  the  clouds. 
O  sha  wan  ong  (From  the  place  of  the  south) 

Un  dos'  e  wug,  (They  come,)  repeat. 

Pe  na'  se  wug,  (The  birds,  i.  e.  the  warlike  birds.) 

Ka  bairn  wai  wa  dung-ig.         (Hear  the  sound  of  their  passing  screams 

on  the  air.) 

b.  The  idea  of  ravenous  birds  hovering  in  the  sky,  still  prevails— 

Tod  of  to  be  (I  wish  to  change  myself  to  be) 

Pe  na'  se.  (A  bird.) 

Ka  dow  we  a  we  ymr.          (His  swift  body — to  be  like  him.) 

c.  The  warrior  now  rises  above  all  thoughts  of  fear. 

Ne  wa  be  na,  (I  cast  it  away.) 

Ne  ow  a.  (My  body.) 

Ne  wa  be  na,  (Repeats.)     This  is  a  high  symbolical  boast  of  per- 

Ne  ow  a.  sonal  bravery. 

d.  He  appeals  to  the  Great  Spirit  for  extraordinary  power. 

Na  bun  a  kum  ig,  (On  the  front  part  of  the  earth,) 

Tshe  ba  be  wish'  em  ug.        (First  shines  [strikes]  the  light) 
In  do  main'  em  ik,  (Such  power  to  me,) 

Mon'  e  do,  (My  God,) 

Sha  wa  nem  id.  (In  thy  mercy  give  !) 

By  the  boldness  of  this  figure  he  claims  the  omnipotent  power  of  the 
s*  i  to  see  and  discover  his  enemies. 


412  TRADITIONARY    WAR    SONGS. 

e.  He  upbraids  such  of  his  people  as  hold  back,  and  do  not  join  in  the 
dance — that  is  to  say,  enlist  in  the  war. 

Wa  go  nain',  e  win  ?  (Why  do  ye,  warriors,) 

A  be  yun  ah,  (Stand  back?) 

Wa  wos  is  se,  we  yun.          (Ye  who  bear  the  mark  of  the  Awasees.) 

The  Avvasee  is  a  kind  of  fish,  which  is  the  totem  of  a  clan. 

f.  He  declares  his  full  purpose  to  enter  into  the  war. 

Ne  ma  je,  e  yeh  !  (I  go  to  the  spot — the  war  path  !) 

Ne  ma  je,  e  yeh  !  (Repeats.) 

Ne  me  kun  ah,  e  yeh  !  (My  war  path !) 

Ge  zhig  neen  vva  tin,  (My  sky  is  fair  and  clear.)     The  com 
mon  phrase  to  denote  good  fortune. 

Hoh  !   Ne  monedo  netaibua-  (Let**  others    linger.      Onward  !    my 

turn  o  win.  God ! — my  right !) 

In  presenting  these  specimens  of  the  original  words  of  some  of  our 
western  warriors,  we  are  permitted  to  give  the  annexed  versions  of  them 
from  the  pen  of  one  of  our  most  gifted  writers. 

WAR-SONG—"  Pe-na  se-wug." 

(From  the  Algonquin  of  Schoolcraft.) 

BY    C.    F.    HOFFMAN. 


Hear  not  ye  their  shrill-piping 

screams  on  the  air  ? 
Up !  Braves  for  the  conflict 

prepare  ye — prepare ! 
Aroused  from  the  canebrake, 

far  south  by  your  drum, 
With  beaks  whet  from  carnage, 

the  Battle  Birds  come. 

n. 
Oh  God  of  my  Fathers, 

as  swiftly  as  they, 
I  ajsk  but  to  swoop 

from  the  hills  on  my  prey 
Give  this  frame  to  the  winds, 

on  the  Prairie  below, 
But  my  soul — like  thy  bolt — 

I  would  hurl  on  the  foe  I 


TRADITIONARY   WAR   SONGS.  413 

ni. 
On  the  forehead  of  Earth 

strikes  the  Sun  in  his  might, 
Oh  gift  me  with  glances 

as  searching  as  light. 
In  the  front  of  the  onslaught, 

to  single  each  crest, 
Till  my  hatchet  grows  red 

on  their  bravest  and  best. 

IV. 

Why  stand  ye  back  idly, 

ye  Sons  of  the  Lakes  ? 
Who  boast  of  the  scalp-locks, 

ye  tremble  to  take. 
Fear-dreamers  may  linger, 

my  skies  are  all  bright — 
Charge — charge — on  the  War-Path, 

FOR  GOD  AND  THE  RlGHT. 

Take  the  following  additional  example,  of  a  death  song.  These  stan 
zas  have  all  been  actually  sung  on  warlike  occasions,  and  repeated  in  my 
hearing.  They  have  been  gleaned  from  the  traditionary  songs  of  the 
Chippewas  of  the  north,  whose  villages  extend  through  the  region  of  lake 
Superior,  and  to  the  utmost  sources  of  the  Mississippi.  Those  bands  are 
the  hereditary  foes  of  their  western  neighbours,  the  Dacotahs  or  Sioux, 
who  are  generally  called  by  them,  by  way  of  distinction,  Na  do  wa  sees, 
that  is  to  say,  OUR  ENEMIES.  The  allusions  in  the  songs  are  exclusively  to 
them.  In  writing  the  original,  I  omit  the  chorus,  as  it  is  not  susceptible 
of  translation,  and  would  increase  considerably  the  space  occupied. 

DEATH    SONG. 

1.  In  opening  this  song  the  warrior  is  to  be  contemplated  as  lying 
wounded  on  the  field  of  battle. 

A'  be  tuh  ge'  zhig,  (Under  the  centre  of  the  sky,) 

Ne  ba  baim  wa'  wa.  (I  utter  my  baim  wa  wa. 

Baimwawa,  is  the  sound  of  passing  thunders,  which  will  convey  a 
just  idea  of  the  violence  of  this  figure. 

2.  His  thoughts  revert  to  the  star  of  his  destiny. 

Ain  dah'  so  gezhig  (Every  day,  thou  star  I) 

Ke  ga  gun  o  wa  bom  in.  (I  gaze  at  you.) 

It  is  tho  morning  star  that  is  here  alluded  to. 


414  TRADITIONARY    WAR    SONGS. 

3.  He  sees  the  birds  of  carnage  hovering  over  the  field. 

A'  be  tuh  geezh-ig  (The  half  of  the  day) 

Ai  be  yaun  (I  abide — gazing) 

Pe  na  se  wug  (Ye  warlike  birds.) 

4.  He  keeps  the'  flight  o/  these  birds  before  his  mind  and  hears  their 
shrill  cries. 

Pe  misk  wosh  e  wug  (They  fly  round  the  circuit  of  the  sky.) 

Pe  na'  se  wug  (The  birds — circling) 

A'  be  tuh  geezh  ig  oag.  (Round  half  the  circuit  of  the  sky.)  The 

meaning  is,  approaching  him  m  circle 
more  nearly,  as  life  becomes  feinter  in 
him. 

6.  This  figure  is  continued.     He  lies  bleeding. 

A'  zha  waush  e  wug  (They  cross  the  enemy's  line) 

Pe  na  se  wug.  (The  birds.) 

6.  He  feels  that  he  is  called  to  another  world. 

A  pit  she  Mon  e  doag  (The  high  gods) 

Ne  mud  wa  wa  (My  praise) 

Wa  we  ne  goag.  (They  sound.) 

*   7.  He  is  content  and  willing  to  go. 

Ka  gait',  ne  min  wain'  dum  (Full  happy — I) 

Ne  bun  ai  kum  ig  (To  lie  on  the  battle-field) 

Tshe  b£  be  wish  e  naun.  (Over  the  enemy's  line.) 

DEATH-SONG—"  A'  be  tuh  ge  zhig." 

(From  the  Algonquin  of  Sclioolcraft.) 

BY   C.    F.    HOFFMAN. 

I. 

Under  the  hollow  sky, 
Stretched  on  the  Prairie  lone, 

Centre  of  glory,  I 
Bleeding,  disdain  to  groan, 

But  like  a  battle  cry 
Peal  forth  my  thunder  moan, 
Baim-wd-wd  1 

n. 

Star — Morning-Star,  whose  ray 
Still  with  the  dawn  I  see, 


TRADITIONARY   WAR   SONGS. 

Quenchless  through  half  the  day 
Gazing  thou  seest  me — 

Yon  birds  of  carnage,  they 
Fright  not  my  gaze  from  thee  i 
Baim-wd-wd  ! 

m. 

Bird,  in  thine  airy  rings 
Over  the  foeman's  line, 

Why  do  thy  flapping  wings 
Nearer  me  thus  incline  ? 

Blood  of  the  Dauntless  brings* 
Courage,  oh  Bird  to  thine  ! 
Baim-wd-wd  ! 

Hark  to  those  Spirit-notes  ! 
Ye  high  Heroes  divine, 
Hymned  from  your  god-like  throats 
That  Song  of  Praise  is  mine ! 

Mine,  whose  grave-pennon  floats! 
Over  the  foeman's  line  ! 
Baim-wd-wd  ! 


416 


WAR-SONG. 


WAR   SONG. 

Where  are  my  foes  ?  say,  warriors,  where  ?     No  forest  is  so  black, 
That  it  can  hide  from  my  quick  eye,  the  vestige  of  their  track : 
There  is  no  lake  so  boundless,  no  path  where  man  may  go, 
Can  shield  them  from  my  sharp  pursuit,  or  save  them  from  my  blow. 
The  winds  that  whisper  in  the  trees,  the  clouds  that  spot  the  sky, 
Impart  a  soft  intelligence,  to  show  me  where  they  lie, 
The  very  birds  that  sail  the  air,  and  scream  as  on  they  go, 
Give  me  a  clue  my  course  to  tread,  and  lead  me  to  the  foe. 

The  sun,  at  dawn,  lifts  up  his  head,  to  guide  me  on  my  way, 
The  moon,  at  night,  looks  softly  down,  and  cheers  me  with  her  ray. 
The  war-crowned  stars,  those  beaming  lights,  my  spirit  casts  at  night 
Direct  me  as  I  thread  the  maze,  and  lead  me  to  the  fight. 
In  sacred  dreams  within  my  lodge,  while  resting  on  the  land, 
Bright  omens  of  success  arise,  and  nerve  my  warlike  hand, 
Where'er  I  turn,  where'er  I  go,  there  is  a  whispering  sound, 
That  tells  me  I  shall  crush  the  foe,  and  drive  him  from  my  ground. 

The  beaming  WEST  invites  me  on,  with  smiles  of  vermil  hue, 
And  clouds  of  promise  fill  the  sky,  and  deck  its  heavenly  blue, 
There  is  no  breeze — there  is  no  sign,  in  ocean,  earth  or  sky, 
That  does  not  swell  my  breast  with  hope,  or  animate  my  eye. 
If  to  the  stormy  beach  I  go,  where  heavy  tempests  play. 
They  tell  me  but,  how  warriors  brave,  should  conquer  in  the  fray. 
All  nature  fills  rr  y  heart  with  fires,  that  prompt  me  on  to  go, 
To  rush  with  rage,  and  lifted  spear,  upon  my  country's  foe. 


APPENDIX 


NARRATIVE 

OP   THE   CAPTIVITY  OP 

ALEXAJSTDEK    HENKY,  ESQ 

WRITTEN  BY  HIMSELF. 


WHEN  I  reached  Michilimackinac  I  found  several  other  traders, 
who  had  arrived  before  me,  from  different  parts  of  the  country,  and 
who,  hi  general,  declared  the  disposition  of  the  Indians  to  be  hostile 
to  the  English,  and  even  apprehended  some  attack.  M.  Laurent  Du- 
charme  distinctly  informed  Major  Etherington  that  a  plan  was  absolutely 
conceived  for  destroying  him,  his  garrison,  and  all  the  English  in  the 
upper  country;  but  the  commandant  believing  this  and  other  reports 
to  be  without  foundation,  proceeding  only  from  idle  or  ill-disposed 
persons,  and  of  a  tendency  to  do  mischief,  expressed  much  displeasure 
against  M.  Ducharme,  and  threatened  to  send  the  next  person  who 
should  bring  a  story  of  the  same  kind,  a  prisoner  to  Detroit. 

The  garrison,  at  this  time,  consisted  of  ninety  privates,  two  subal 
terns  and  the  commandant;  and  the  English  merchants  at  the  fort 
were  four  in  number.  Thus  strong,  few  entertained  anxiety  concern 
ing  the  Indians,  who  had  no  weapons  but  small  arms. 

Meanwhile,  the  Indians,  from  every  quarter,  were  daily  assembling, 
in  unusual  numbers,  but  with  every  appearance  of  friendship,  fre 
quenting  the  fort,  and  disposing  of  their  peltries,  in  such  a  manner  as 
to  dissipate  almost  every  one's  fears.  For  myself,  on  one  occasion,  I 
took  the  liberty  of  observing  to  Major  Etherington  that,  in  my  judgment, 
no  confidence  ought  to  be  placed  in  them,  and  that  I  was  in 
formed  no  less  than  four  hundred  lay  around  the  fort 
27 


418  ALEXANDER   HENRY'S   CAPTIVITY. 

In  return  the  major  only  rallied  me  on  my  timidity;  and  it  is  to 
be  confessed  that  if  this  officer  neglected  admonition  on  his  part,  so 
did  I  on  mine.  Shortly  after  my  first  arrival  at  Michilimackinac,  in 
the  preceding  year,  a  Chippeway,  named  Wawatam,  began  to  come 
often  to  my  house,  betraying  in  his  demeanor  strong  marks  of  personal 
regard.  After  this  had  continued  some  time,  he  came,  on  a  certain 
day,  bringing  with  him  his  whole  family,  and,  at  the  same  time,  a  large 
present,  consisting  of  skins,  sugar,  and  dried  meat.  Having  laid  these 
in  a  heap,  he  commenced  a  speech,  in  which  he  informed  me  that 
some  years  before  he  had  observed  a  fast,  devoting  himself,  according 
to  the  custom  of  his  nation,  to  solitude,  and  to  the  mortification  of  his 
body,  in  the  hope  to  obtain,  from  the  Great  Spirit,  protection  through 
all  his  days;  that  on  this  occasion  he  had  dreamed  of  adopting  an 
Englishman  as  his  son,  brother  and  friend;  that,  from  the  moment  in 
which  he  first  beheld  me,  he  had  recognized  me  as  the  person  whom  the 
Great  Spirit  had  been  pleased  to  point  out  to  him  for  a  brother ;  that 
he  hoped  that  I  would  not  refuse  his  present;  and  that  he  should 
forever  regard  me  as  one  of  his  family. 

I  could  not  do  otherwise  than  accept  the  present,  and  declare  my 
willingness  to  have  so  good  a  man  as  this  appeared  to  be  for  my 
friend  and  brother.  I  offered  a  present  in  return  for  that  which  I 
had  received,  which  Wawatam  accepted,  and  then,  thanking  me  for 
the  favor  which  he  said  that  I  had  rendered  him,  he  left  me,  and 
soon  after  set  out  on  his  winter's  hunt. 

Twelve  months  had  now  elapsed  since  the  occurrence  of  this  in 
cident,  and  I  had  almost  forgotten  the  person  of  my  brother,  when  on 
the  second  day  of  June,  Wawatam  came  again  to  my  house,  in  a 
temper  of  mind  visibly  melancholy  and  thoughtful.  He  told  me  that 
he  had  just  returned  from  his  wintering  ground,  and  I  asked  after 
his  health;  but  without  answering  my  question,  he  went  on  to  say, 
that  he  was  sorry  to  find  me  returned  from  the  Sault ;  that  he  intended 
to  go  to  that  place  himself,  immediately  after  his  arrival  at  Michili 
mackinac;  and  that  he  wished  me  to  go  there  along  with  him  and 
his  family  the  next  morning.  To  all  this  he  joined  an  inquiry, 
whether  or  not  the  commandant  had  heard  bad  news,  adding  that 
during  the  winter  he  had  himself  been  frequently  disturbed  with  the 
noise  of  evil  birds;  and  further  suggesting  that  there  were  nu 
merous  Indians  near  the  fort,  many  of  whom  had  never  shown 
themselves  within  it.  Wawatam  was  about  forty-five  years  of  age,  of 
an  excellent  character  among  his  nation,  and  a  chie£ 

Referring  much  of  what  he  heard  to  the  peculiarities  of  the  Indian 


ALEXANDER   HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY.  419 

character,  I  did  not  pay  all  the  attention  which  they  will  be  found  to 
have  deserved  to  the  entreaties  and  remarks  of  my  visitor.  I  answered 
that  I  could  not  think  of  going  to  the  Sault  so  soon  as  the  next  morning, 
but  would  follow  him  there  after  the  arrival  of  my  clerks.  Finding 
himself  unable  to  prevail  with  me,  he  withdrew  for  that  day;  but 
early  the  next  morning  he  came  again,  bringing  with  him  his  wife, 
and  a  present  of  dried  meat.  At  this  interview,  after  stating  that  he 
had  several  packs  of  beaver,  for  which  he  intended  to  deal  with  me, 
he  expressed  a  second  time  his  apprehensions,  from  the  numerous  In 
dians  who  were  around  the  fort,  and  earnestly  pressed  me  to  consent 
to  an  immediate  departure  for  the  Sault.  As  a  reason  for  this  parti 
cular  request,  he  assured  me  that  all  the  Indians  proposed  to  come 
in  a  body,  that  day,  to  the  fort,  to  demand  liquor  of  the  command 
ant,  and  that  he  wished  me  to  be  gone  before  they  should  grow 
intoxicated. 

I  had  made,  at  the  period  to  which  I  am  now  referring,  so  much 
progress  in  the  language  in  which  Wawatam  addressed  me,  as  to  be 
able  to  hold  an  ordinary  conversation  in  it;  but  the  Indian  manner 
of  speech  is  so  extravagantly  figurative  that  it  is  only  for  a  perfect 
master  to  follow  and  comprehend  it  entirely,  Had  I  been  further 
advanced  in  this  respect,  I  think  that  I  should  have  gathered  so  much 
information,  from  this  my  friendly  monitor,  as  would  have  put  me  into 
possession  of  the  design  of  the  enemy,  and  enable  me  to  save,  as  well 
others,  as  myself ;  as  it  was,  it  unfortunately  happened  that  I  turned 
a  deaf  ear  to  every  thing,  leaving  Wawatam  and  his  wife,  after  long 
and  patient,  but  ineffectual  efforts,  to  depart  alone,  with  dejected  coun 
tenances,  and  not  before  they  had  each  let  fall  some  tears. 

In  the  course  of  the  same  day,  I  observed  that  the  Indians  came  in 
great  numbers  into  the  fort,  purchasing  tomahawks,  (small  axes  of  one 
pound  weight,)  and  frequently  desiring  to  see  silver  arm-bands,  and 
other  valuable  ornaments,  of  which  I  had  a  large  quantity  for  sale. 
The  ornaments,  however,  they  in  no  instance  purchased,  but,  after 
turning  them  over,  left  them,  saying  that  they  would  call  again  the  next 
day.  Their  motive,  as  it  afterward  appeared,  was  no  other  than  the 
very  artful  one  of  discovering,  by  requesting  to  see  them,  the  particular 
places  of  their  deposit,  so  that  they  might  lay  their  hands  on  them  in  the 
moment  of  pillage  with  the  greater  certainty  and  dispatch. 

At  night,  I  turned  in  my  mind  the  visits  of  Wawatam  ;  but,  though 
they  were  calculated  to  excite  uneasiness,  nothing  induced  me  to  believe 
that  serious  mischief  was  at  hand.  The  next  day,  being  the  fourth  of 
June,  was  the  king's  birth-day. 


420  ALEXANDER   HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY. 

The  morning  was  sultry.  A  Chippeway  came  to  tell  me  that  his 
nation  was  going  to  play  at  baggatiwag,  with  the  Sacs  or  Saakies,  another 
Indian  nation,  for  a  high  wager.  He  invited  me  to  witness  the  sport, 
adding  that  the  commainiant  was  to  be  there,  and  would  bet  on  the 
side  of  the  Chippeways.  In  consequence  of  this  information,  I  went  to 
the  commandant,  and  expostulated  with  him  a  little,  representing  that 
the  Indians  might  possibly  have  some  sinister  end  in  view;  but  the 
commandant  only  smiled  at  my  suspicions. 

Baggatiway,  called  by  the  Canadians  le  jeu  de  la  crosse,  is  played 
with  a  bat  and  ball.  The  bat  is  about  four  feet  in  length,  curved,  and 
terminating  in  a  sort  of  racket.  Two  posts  are  planted  in  the  ground, 
at  a  considerable  distance  from  each  other,  as  a  mile  or  more.  Each 
party  has  its  post,  and  the  game  consists  in  throwing  the  ball  up  to  the 
post  of  the  adversary.  The  ball  at  the  beginning  is  placed  in  the 
middle  of  the  course,  and  each  party  endeavors  as  well  to  throw  the 
ball  out  of  the  direction  of  its  own  post,  as  into  that  of  the  adver 
sary's. 

I  did  not  go  myself  to  see  the  match  which  was  now  to  be  played 
without  the  fort,  because,  there  being  a  canoe  prepared  to  depart,  on 
the  following  day  for  Montreal,  I  employed  myself  in  writing  letters 
to  my  friends;  and  even  when  a  fellow- trader,  Mr.  Tracy,  happened 
to  call  upon  me,  saying  that  another  canoe  had  just  arrived  from 
Detroit,  and  proposing  that  I  should  go  with  him  to  the  beach,  to 
inquire  the  news,  it  so  happened  that  I  still  remained,  to  finish  my 
letters;  promising  to  follow  Mr.  Tracy  in  the  course  of  a  few  minutes. 
Mr.  Tracy  had  not  gone  more  than  twenty  paces  from  the  door,  when 
I  heard  an  Indian  war-cry,  and  a  noise  of  general  confusion. 

Going  instantly  to  my  window^  I  saw  a  crowd  of  Indians  within  the 
fort,  furiously  cutting  down  and  scalping  every  Englishman  they  found. 
In  particular,  I  witnessed  the  fate  of  Lieutenant  Jemette. 

I  had  in  the  room  in  which  I  was  a  fowling  piece,  loaded  with  swan- 
shot  This  I  immediately  seized,  and  held  it  for  a  few  minutes,  waiting 
to  hear  the  drum  beat  to  arms.  In  this  dreadful  interval  I  saw 
several  of  my  countrymen  fall,  and  more  than  one  struggling  between 
the  knees  of  an  Indian,  who,  holding  him  in  this  manner,  scalped  him 
while  yet  living. 

At  length,  disappointed  in  the  hope  of  seeing  resistance  made  to 
the  enemy,  and  sensible  of  course  that  no  effort  of  my  own  unassisted 
arm  could  avail  against  four  hundred  Indians,  I  thought  only  of  seeking 
shelter.  Amid  the  slaughter  which  was  raging,  I  observed  many  of 
the  Canadian  inhabitants  of  the  fort  calmly  looking  on,  neither  opposing 


ALEXANDER   HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY.  421 

the  Indians  nor  suffering  injury;  and  from  this  circumstance  I  conceived 
a  hope  of  finding  security  in  their  houses. 

Between  the  yard  door  of  my  own  house  and  that  of  M.  Langlade, 
my  next  neighbor,  there  was  only  a  low  fence,  over  which  I  easily 
climbed.  At  my  entrance  I  found  the  whole  family  at  the  windows, 
gazing  at  the  scene  of  blood  before  them.  I  addressed  myself  immedi 
ately  to  M.  Langlade,  begging  that  he  would  put  me  into  some  place 
of  safety,  until  the  heat  of  the  affair  should  be  over;  an  act  of  charity 
by  which  he  might  perhaps  preserve  me  from  the  general  massacre ;  but 
while  I  uttered  my  petition,  M.  Langlade,  who  had  looked  for  a  moment 
at  me,  turned  again  to  the  window,  shrugging  his  shoulders,  and 
intimating  that  he  could  do  nothing  for  me:  "  Que  voudriez-vous  gue 
j'en  ferais  ?  " 

This  was  a  moment  for  despair ;  but  the  next,  a  Pani  woman,*  a  slave 
of  M.  Langlade's,  beckoned  to  me  to  follow  her.  She  brought  me  to 
a  door,  which  she  opened,  desiring  me  to  enter,  and  telling  me  that  it 
led  to  the  garret,  where  I  must  go  and  conceal  myself.  I  joyfully 
obeyed  her  directions;  and  she,  having  followed  me  up  to  the  garret- 
door,  locked  it  after  me,  and  with  great  presence  of  mind  took  away 
the  key. 

This  shelter  obtained,  if  shelter  I  could  hope  to  find  it,  I  was  natu 
rally  anxious  to  know  what  might  still  be  passing  without.  Through 
an  aperture,  which  afforded  me  a  view  of  the  area  of  the  fort,  I  beheld, 
in  shapes  the  foulest  and  most  terrible,  the  ferocious  triumphs  of 
barbarian  conquerors.  The  dead  were  scalped  and  mangled;  the 
dying  were  writhing  and  shrieking  under  the  unsatiated  knife  and 
tomahawk;  and  from  the  bodies  of  some,  ripped  open,  their  butchers 
were  drinking  the  blood,  scooped  up  in  the  hollow  of  joined  hands, 
and  quaffed  amid  shouts  of  rage  and  victory.  I  was  shaken  not  only 
with  horror,  but  with  fear.  The  sufferings  which  I  witnessed,  I  seemed 
on  the  point  of  experiencing.  No  long  time  elapsed  before,  every  one 
being  destroyed  who  could  be  found,  there  was  a  general  cry  of  "  All  is 
finished!"  At  the  same  instant  I  heard  some  of  the  Indians  enter  the 
house  in  which  I  was. 

The  garret  was  separated  from  the  room  below  only  by  a  layer  of 
single  boards,  at  once  the  flooring  of  the  one  and  the  ceiling  of  the 
other.  I  could  therefore  hear  every  thing  that  passed ;  and  the  Indians 
no  sooner  came  in  than  they  inquired  whether  or  not  any  Englishmen 
were  in  the  house.  M.  Langlade  replied  that  "  he  could  not  say ;  he  did 

*  The  Panics  are  an  Indian  nation  of  the  South. 


422  ALEXANDER   HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY. 

not  know  of  any;"  answers  in  which  he  did  not  exceed  the  truth;  for 
the  Pani  woman  had  not  only  hidden  me  by  stealth,  but  kept  my  secret 
and  her  own.  M.  Langlade  was  therefore,  as  I  presume,  as  far  from  a 
wish  to  destroy  me  as  he  was  careless  about  saving  me,  when  he  added 
to  these  answers,  that  "  they  might  examine  for  themselves,  and  would 
soon  be  satisfied  as  to  the  object  of  their  question."  Saying  this,  he 
brought  them  to  the  garret-door. 

The  state  of  my  mind  will  be  imagined.  Arrived  at  the  door, 
some  delay  was  occasioned  by  the  absence  of  the  key,  and  a  few  mo 
ments  were  thus  allowed  me  in  which  to  look  around  for  a  hiding 
place.  In  one  corner  of  the  garret  was  a  heap  of  those  vessels  of 
birch  bark,  used  in  maple  sugar  making,  as  I  have  recently  des 
cribed. 

The  door  was  unlocked  and  opened,  and  the  Indians  ascending  the 
stairs,  before  I  had  completely  crept  into  a  small  opening  which  pre 
sented  itself  at  one  end  of  the  heap.  An  instant  after,  four  Indians 
entered  the  room,  all  armed  with  tomahawks,  and  all  besmeared  with 
blood  upon  every  part  of  their  bodies. 

The  die  appeared  to  be  cast  I  could  scarcely  breathe  ;  but  I 
thought  the  throbbing  of  my  heart  occasioned  a  noise  loud  enough  to 
betray  me.  The  Indians  walked  in  every  direction  about  the  garret, 
and  one  of  them  approached  me  so  closely  that  at  a  particular  mo 
ment,  had  he  put  forth  his  hand,  he  must  have  touched  me.  Still  I 
remained  undiscovered  ;  a  circumstance  to  which  the  dark  color  of  my 
clothes,  and  the  want  of  light  in  the  room,  which  had  no  window, 
and  in  the  corner  in  which  I  was,  must  have  contributed.  In  a  word, 
after  taking  several  turns  in  the  room,  during  which  they  told  M. 
Langlade  how  many  they  had  killed,  and  how  many  scalps  they  had 
taken,  they  returned  down  stairs,  and  I,  with  sensations  not  to  be 
expressed,  heard  the  door,  which  was  the  barrier  between  me  and 
my  fate,  locked  for  the  second  time. 

There  was  a  feather-bed  on  the  floor  ;  and  on  this,  exhausted  as 
I  was  by  the  agitation  of  my  mind,  I  threw  myself  down  and  fell 
asleep.  In  this  state  I  remained  till  the  dusk  of  the  evening,  when  I 
was  awakened  by  a  second  opening  of  the  door.  The  person  that 
now  entered  was  M.  'Langlade's  wife,  who  was  much  surprised  at  find 
ing  me,  but  advised  me  not  to  be  uneasy,  observing  that  the  Indians 
had  killed  most  of  the  English,  but  that  she  hoped  I  might  myself 
escape.  A  shower  of  rain  having  begun  to  fall,  she  had  come  to  stop 
a  hole  in  the  roof.  On  her  going  away,  I  begged  her  to  send  me 
a  little  water  to  drink  ;  which,  she  did. 


ALEXANDER   HENRY  *S    CAPTIVITY.  423 

As  night  was  now  advancing,  I  continued  to  lie  on  the  bed,  rumi 
nating  on  my  condition,  but  unable  to  discover  a  resource  from  which 
I  could  hope  for  life.  A  flight  to  Detroit  had  no  probable  chance  of 
success.  The  distance  from  Michilimackinac  was  four  hundred  miles  ; 
I  was  without  provisions  ;  and  the  whole  length  of  the  road  lay 
through  Indian  countries,  countries  of  an  enemy  in  arms,  where  the 
first  man  whom  I  should  meet  would  kill  me.  To  stay  where  I  was 
threatened  nearly  the  same  issue.  As  before,  fatigue  of  mind,  and 
not  tranquility,  suspended  my  cares,  and  procured  me  further  sleep. 

The  game  of  baggatiway,  as  from  the  description  above,  will  have 
been  perceived,  is  necessarily  attended  with  much  violence  and  noise. 
In  the  ardor  of  contest,  the  ball,  as  has  been  suggested,  if  it  cannot 
be  thrown  to  the  goal  desired,  is  struck  in  any  direction  by  which  ft 
can  be  diverted  from  that  designed  by  the  adversary.  At  such  a 
moment,  therefore,  nothing  could  be  less  liable  to  excite  premature 
alarm,  than  that  the  ball  should  be  tossed  over  the  pickets  of  the 
Fort,  nor  that,  having  fallen  there,  it  should  be  followed  on  the  instant 
by  all  engaged  in  the  game,  as  well  the  one  party  as  the  other,  all 
eager,  all  struggling,  all  shouting,  all  in  the  unrestrained  pursuit  of  a 
rude  athletic  exercise.  Nothing  could  be  less  fitted  to  excite  prema 
ture  alarm  ;  nothing,  therefore,  could  be  more  happily  devised,  under 
the  circumstances,  than  a  stratagem  like  this  ;  and  this  was,  in  fact, 
the  stratagem  which  the  Indians  had  employed,  by  which  they  had 
obtained  possession  of  the  Fort,  and  by  which  they  had  been  enabled 
to  slaughter  and  subdue  its  garrison,  and  such  of  its  other  inha 
bitants  as  they  pleased.  To  be  still  more  certain  of  success,  they 
had  prevailed  upon  as  many  as  they  could,  by  a  pretext  the  least 
liable  to  suspicion,  to  come  voluntarily  without  the  pickets  ;  and  par 
ticularly  the  commandant  and  garrison  themselves. 

The  respite  which  sleep  afforded  me,  during  the  night,  was  put  an 
end  to  by  the  return  of  morning.  I  was  again  on  the  rack  of  appre 
hension.  At  sunrise,  I  heard  the  family  stirring;  and  presently  after 
Indian  voices,  informing  M.  Langlade  that  they  had  not  found  my 
hapless  self  among  the  dead,  and  they  supposed  me  to  be  some 
where  concealed.  M.  Langlade  appeared,  from  what  followed,  to  be 
by  this  time  acquainted  with  the  place  of  my  retreat,  of  which,  no 
doubt,  he  had  been  informed  by  his  wife.  The  poor  woman,  as 
soon  as  the  Indians  mentioned  me,  declared  to  her  husband,  in  the 
French  tongue,  that  he  should  no  longer  keep  me  in  his  house, 
but  deliver  me  up  to  my  pursuers;  giving  as  a  reason  for  this 
jaeasure,  that  should  the  Indians  discover  his  instrumentality  in  my 


424  ALEXANDER   HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY. 

concealment,  they  might  revenge  it  on  her  children,  and  that  it  was 
better  that  I  should  die  than  they.  M.  Langlade  resisted  at  first 
this  sentence  of  his  wife's,  but  soon  suffered  her  to  prevail,  informing 
the  Indians  that  he  had  been  told  I  was  in  his  house,  that  I  had 
come  there  without  his  knowledge,  and  that  he  would  put  me 
into  their  hands.  This  was  no  sooner  expressed  than  he  began  to 
ascend  the  stairs,  the  Indians  following  upon  his  heels. 

I  now  resigned  myself  to  the  fate  with  which  I  was  menaced  ; 
and  regarding  every  attempt  at  concealment  as  vain,  I  arose  from  the 
bed,  and  presented  myself  full  in  view  to  the  Indians  who  were  enter 
ing  the  room.  They  were  all  in  a  state  of  intoxication,  and  entirely 
naked,  except  about  the  middle.  One  of  them,  named  Wenniway, 
^vhom  I  had  previously  known,  and  who  was  upward  of  six  feet  in 
height,  had  his  entire  face  and  body  covered  with  charcoal  and  grease, 
only  that  a  white  spot,  of  two  inches  in  diameter,  encircled  either  eye, 
This  man  walked  up  to  me,  seized  me  with  one  hand  by  the  collar 
of  the  coat,  while  in  the  other  he  held  a  large  carving  knife,  as  if  to 
plunge  it  in  my  breast ;  his  eyes  meanwhile  were  fixed  steadfastly  on 
mine.  At  length,  after  some  seconds  of  the  most  anxious  suspense, 
he  dropped  his  arm,  saying,  "  I  won't  kill  you  !"  To  this  he  added, 
that  he  had  frequently  engaged  in  wars  against  the  English,  and  had 
brought  away  many  scalps  ;  that  on  a  certain  occasion  he  had  lost  a 
brother,  whose  name  was  Musinigon,  and  that  I  should  be  called  after  him. 

A  reprieve  upon  any  terms  placed  me  among  the  living,  and  gave 
me  back  the  sustaining  voice  of  hope  ;  but  Wenniway  ordered  me 
down  stairs,  and  there  informed  me  that  I  was  to  be  taken  to  his 
cabin,  where,  and  indeed  every  where  else,  the  Indians  were  all  mad 
with  liquor,  death  again  was  threatened,  and  not  as  possible  only,  but 
as  certain.  I  mentioned  my  fears  on  this  subject  to  M.  Langlade, 
begging  him  to  represent  the  danger  to  my  master.  M.  Langlade,  in 
this  instance,  did  not  withhold  his  compassion,  and  Wenniway  immedi 
ately  consented  that  I  should  remain  where  I  was,  until  he  found 
another  opportunity  to  take  me  away. 

Thus  far  secure,  I  reascended  my  garret  stairs,  in  order  to  place 
myself  the  furthest  possible  out  of  the  reach  of  insult  from  drunken 
Indians ;  but  I  had  not  remained  there  more  than  an  hour,  when  I 
was  called  to  the  room  below,  in  which  was  an  Indian,  who  said  that 
I  must  go  with  him  out  of  the  Fort,  Wenniway  having  sent  him  to 
fetch  me.  This  man,  as  well  as  Wenniway  himself,  I  had  seen  before. 
In  the  preceding  year,  I  had  allowed  him  to  take  goods  on  credit, 
for  which  he  was  still  in  my  debt ;  and  some  short  time  previous  to 


ALEXANDER   HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY.  425 

the  surprise  of  the  Fort,  he  had  said,  upon  my  upbraiding  him  with 
want  of  honesty,  that  "he  would  pay  me  before  long!"  This  speech 
now  came  fresh  into  my  memory,  and  led  me  to  suspect  that  the  fellow 
had  formed  a  design  against  my  life.  I  communicated  the  suspicion 
to  M.  Langlade  ;  but  he  gave  for  answer  that  "  I  was  not  now  my 
own  master,  and  must  do  as  I  was  ordered." 

The  Indian,  on  his  part,  directed  that  before  I  left  the  house,  I 
should  undress  myself,  declaring  that  my  coat  and  shirt  would  become 
him  better  than  they  did  me.  His  pleasure  in  this  respect  being 
complied  with,  no  other  alternative  was  left  me  than  either  to  go  out 
naked,  or  put  on  the  clothes  of  the  Indian,  which  he  freely  gave  me 
in  exchange.  His  motive  for  thus  stripping  me  of  my  own  apparel 
was  no  other,  as  I  afterwards  learned,  than  this,  that  it  might  not  be 
stained  with  blood  when  he  should  kill  me. 

I  was  now  told  to  proceed ;  and  my  driver  followed  me  close,  until 
I  had  passed  the  gate  of  the  Fort,  when  I  turned  toward  the  spot 
where  I  knew  the%  Indians  to  be  encamped.  This,  however,  did  not 
suit  the  purpose  of  my  enemy,  who  seized  me  by  the  arm,  and  drew 
me  violently  in  the  opposite  direction,  to  the  distance  of  fifty  yards 
above  the  Fort.  Here,  finding  that  I  was  approaching  the  bushes  and 
sand  hills,  I  determined  to  proceed  no  further,  but  told  the  Indian  that 
I  believed  he  meant  to  murder  me,  and  if  so  he  might  as  well  strike 
where  I  was  as  at  any  greater  distance.  He  replied  with  coolness, 
that  my  suspicions  were  just,  and  that  he  meant  to  pay  me  in  this 
manner  for  my  goods.  At  the  same  time  he  produced  a  knife,  and 
held  me  in  a  position  to  receive  the  intended  blow.  Both  this  and 
that  which  followed  were  necessarily  the  affair  of  a  moment  By  some 
effort,  too  sudden  and  too  little  dependent  on  thought  to  be  explained 
or  remembered,  I  was  enabled  to  arrest  his  arm,  and  give  him  a  sud 
den  push,  by  which  I  turned  him  from  me,  and  released  myself  from 
his  grasp.  This  was  no  sooner  done  than  I  ran  toward  the  Fort, 
with  all  the  swiftness  in  my  power,  the  Indian  following  me,  and  I 
expecting  every  moment  to  feel  his  knife.  I  succeeded  in  my  flight; 
and,  on  entering  the  Fort,  I  saw  Wenniway  standing  in  the  midst  of 
the  area,  and  to  him  I  hastened  for  protection.  Wenniway  desired 
the  Indian  to  desist  ;  but  the  latter  pursued  me  round  him,  making 
several  strokes  at  me  with  his  knife,  and  foaming  at  the  mouth  with 
rage  at  the  repeated  failure  of  his  purpose.  At  length  Wenniway 
drew  near  to  M.  Langlade's  house  ;  and  the  door  being  open,  I  ran 
into  it  The  Indian  followed  me  ;  but  on  my  entering  the  house,  he 
voluntarily  abandoned  the  pursuit. 


426  ALEXANDER   HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY. 

Preserved  so  often,  and  so  unexpectedly,  as  it  had  now  been  my  lot  to 
be,  I  returned  to  my  garret,  with  a  strong  inclination  to  believe  that, 
through  the  will  of  an  overruling  power,  no  Indian  enemy  could  do  me 
hurt ;  but  new  trials,  as  I  believed,  were  at  hand,  when,  at  ten  o'clock  in 
the  evening,  I  was  roused  from  sleep,  and  once  more  desired  to  descend 
the  stairs.  Not  less,  however,  to  my  satisfaction  than  surprise,  I  was 
summoned  only  to  meet  Major  Etherington,  Mr.  Bostwick,  and  Lieu 
tenant  Lesslie,  who  were  in  the  room  below. 

These  gentlemen  had  been  taken  prisoners,  while  looking  at  the  game, 
without  the  Fort,  and  immediately  stripped  of  all  their  clothes.  They 
were  now  sent  into  the  fort,  under  the  charge  of  Canadians,  because,  the 
Indians  having  resolved  on  getting  drunk,  the  chiefs  were  apprehensive 
that  they  would  be  murdered  if  they  continued  in  the  camp.  Lieutenant 
Jemette  and  seventy  soldiers  had  been  killed  ;  and  but  twenty  English 
men,  including  soldiers,  were  still  alive.  These  were  all  within  the  fort, 
together  with  nearly  three  hundred  Canadians  belonging  to  the  canoes,  <fec. 

These  being  our  numbers,  myself  and  others  proposed  to  Maj.  Ether 
ington  to  make  an  effort  for  regaining  possesion  of  the  fort,  and  maintain 
ing  it  against  the  Indians.  The  Jesuit  missionary  was  consulted  on  the 
project  ;  but  he  discouraged  us,  by  his  representations,  not  only  of  the 
merciless  treatment  which  we  must  expect  from  the  Indians,  should  they 
regain  their  superiority,  but  of  the  little  dependence  which  was  to  be 
placed  upon  our  Canadian  auxiliaries.  Thus  the  fort  and  prisoners 
remained  in  the  hands  of  the  Indians,  though,  through  the  whole  night, 
the  prisoners  and  whites  were  in  actual  possession,  and  they  were  with 
out  the  gates. 

That  whole  night,  or  the  greater  part  of  it,  was  passed  in  mutual 
condolence  ;  and  my  fellow-prisoners  shared  my  garret.  In  the  morn 
ing,  being  again  called  down,  I  found  my  master,  Wenniway,  and  was 
desired  to  follow  him.  He  led  me  to  a  small  house,  within  the  fort, 
where,  in  a  narrow  room,  and  almost  dark,  I  found  Mr.  Ezekiel  Solo 
mons,  an  Englishman  from  Detroit,  and  a  soldier,  all  prisoners.  With 
these,  I  remained  in  painful  suspense,  as  to  the  scene  that  was  next 
to  present  itself,  till  ten  o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  when  an  Indian  ar 
rived,  and  presently  marched  us  to  the  lake  side,  where  a  canoe 
appeared  ready  for  departure,  and  in  which  we  found  that  we  were 
to  embark. 

Our  voyage,  full  of  doubt  as  it  was,  would  have  commenced  imme 
diately,  but  that  one  of  the  Indians,  who  was  to  be  of  the  party,  was 
absent.  His  arrival  was  to  be  waited  for  ;  and  this  occasioned  a  very 
long  delay,  during  which  we  were  exposed  to  a  keen  north-east  wind. 


ALEXANDER   HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY.  427 

An  old  shirt  was  all  that  covered  me  ;  I  suffered  much  from  the 
cold  ;  and  in  this  extremity,  M.  Langlade  coming  down  to  the  beach, 
I  asked  him  for  a  blanket,  promising  if  I  lived  to  pay  him  for  it,  at 
any  price  he  pleased  ;  but  the  answer  I  received  was  this,  that  he 
could  let  me  have  no  blanket  unless  there  were  some  one  to  be  secu 
rity  for  the  payment.  For  myself,  he  observed,  I  had  no  longer  any  prop 
erty  in  that  country.  I  had  no  more  to  say  to  M.  Langlade  ;  but 
presently  seeing  another  Canadian,  named  John  Cuchoise,  I  addressed 
to  him  a  similar  request,  and  was  not  refused.  Naked  as  I  was,  and 
rigorous  as  was  the  weather,  but  for  the  blanket  I  must  have  perished. 
At  noon,  our  party  was  all  collected,  the  prisoners  all  embarked,  and  we 
steered  for  the  Isle  du  Castor,  [Beaver  Island,]  in  Lake  Michigan. 

The  soldier,  who  was  our  companion  in  misfortune,  was  made  fast  to 
a  bar  of  the  canoe,  by  a  rope  tied  round  his  neck,  as  is  the  manner 
of  the  Indians  in  transporting  their  prisoners.  The  rest  were  left 
unconfined  ;  but  a  paddle  was  put  into  each  of  our  hands,  and  we 
were  made  to  use  it  The  Indians  in  the  canoe  were  seven  in  num 
ber,  the  prisoners  four.  I  had  left,  as  it  will  be  recollected,  Major 
Etherington,  Lieutenant  Lesslie  and  Mr.  Bostwick,  at  M.  Langlade's,  and 
was  now  joined  in  misery  with  Mr.  Ezekiel  Solomons,  the  soldier,  and 
the  Englishman  who  had  newly  arrived  from  Detroit.  This  was  on 
the  sixth  day  of  June.  The  Fort  was  taken  on  the  fourth  ;  I  surren 
dered  myself  to  Wenniway  on  the  fifth  ;  and  this  was  the  third  day 
of  our  distress. 

We  were  bound,  as  I  have  said,  for  the  Isles  du  Castor,  which  lie 
in  the  mouth  of  Lake  Michigan  ;  and  we  should  have  crossed  the 
lake,  but  that  a  thick  fog  came  on,  on  account  of  which  the  Indians 
deemed  it  safer  to  keep  the  shore  close  under  their  lee.  We  there 
fore  approached  the  lands  of  the  Ottawas,  and  their  village  of 
L'Arbre  Croche,  already  mentioned  as  lying  about  twenty  miles  to  the 
westward  of  Michilimackinac,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  tongue  of 
land  on  which  the  Fort  is  built. 

Every  half  hour,  the  Indians  gave  their  warwhoop,  one  for  every 
prisoner  in  their  canoe.  This  is  a  general  custom,  by  the  aid  of 
which,  all  other  Indians,  within  hearing,  are  apprised  of  the  number 
of  prisoners  they  are  carrying. 

In  this  manner  we  reached  Wagoshense,  Fox-point,  a  long  point, 
stretching  westward  into  the  lake,  and  which  the  Ottawas  make  a 
carrying  place,  Ht  avoid  going  round  it.  It  is  distant  eighteen  miles 
from  Michilimackinac.  After  the  Indians  had  made  their  warwhoop, 
as  before,  an  Ottawa  appeared  upon  the  beach,  who  made  signs  that  we 


428  ALEXANDER    HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY. 

should  land.  In  consequence,  we  approached.  The  Ottawa  asked  the 
news,  and  kept  the  Chippeways  in  further  conversation,  till  we  were 
within  a  few  yards  of  the  land,  and  in  shallow  water.  At  this  mo 
ment,  a  hundred  men  rushed  upon  us,  from  among  the  bushes,  and 
dragged  all  the  prisoners  out  of  the  canoe,  amid  a  terrifying  shout. 

We  now  believed  that  our  last  sufferings  were  approaching  ;  but 
no  sooner  were  we  fairly  on  shore,  and  on  our  legs,  than  the  chiefs 
of  the  party  advanced,  and  gave  each  of  us  their  hands,  telling  us  that  they 
were  our  friends,  and  Ottawas,  whom  the  Chippeways  had  insulted, 
by  destroying  the  English  without  consulting  with  them  on  the  affair. 
They  added  that  what  they  had  done  was  for  the  purpose  of  saving 
our  lives,  the  Chippeways  having  been  carrying  us  to  the  Isles  du 
Castor  only  to  kill  and  devour  us. 

The  reader's  imagination  is  here  distracted  by  the  variety  of  our 
fortunes,  and  he  may  well  paint  to  himself  the  state  of  mind  of  those 
who  sustained  them,  who  were  the  sport  or  the  victims  of  a  series 
of  events,  more  like  dreams  than  realities,  more  like  fiction  than  truth ! 
It  was  not  long  before  we  were  embarked  again,  in  the  canoes  of 
the  Ottawas,  who,  the  same  evening,  relanded  us  at  Michilimackinac, 
where  they  marched  us  into  the  Fort,  in  view  of  the  Chippewas, 
confounded  at  beholding  the  Ottawas  espousing  a  side  opposite  to 
their  own. 

The  Ottawas,  who  had  accompanied  us  in  sufficient  numbers,  took  pos 
session  of  the  Fort.  We,  who  had  changed  masters,  but  were  still  prisoners, 
were  lodged  in  the  house  of  the  commandant,  and  strictly  guarded. 

Early  the  next  morning,  a  general  council  was  held,  in  which  the 
Chippeways  complained  much  of  the  conduct  of  the  Ottawas,  in  rob 
bing  them  of  their  prisoners  ;  alleging  that  all  the  Indians,  the  Otta 
was  alone  excepted,  were  at  war  with  the  English  ;  that  Pontiac  had 
taken  Detroit  ;  that  the  King  of  France  had  awoke,  and  repossessed 
himself  of  Quebec  and  Montreal  ;  and  that  the  English  were  meeting 
destruction,  not  only  at  Michilimackinac,  but  in  every  other  part  of  the 
world.  From  all  this  they  inferred  that  it  became  the  Ottawas  to 
restore  the  prisoners,  and  to  join  in  the  war  ;  and  the  speech  was 
followed  by  large  presents,  being  part  of  the  plunder  of  the  Fort,  and 
which  was  previously  heaped  in  the  center  of  the  room.  The  Indians 
rarely  make  their  answers  till  the  day  after  they  have  heard  the  argu 
ments  offered.  They  did  not  depart  from  their  custom  on  this  occasion ; 
and  the  council  therefore  adjourned.  ^ 

We,  the  prisoners,  whose  fate  was  thus  in  controversy,  were  unacquainted 
at  the  time  with  this  transaction  ;  and  therefore  enjoyed  a  night  of 


ALEXANDER   HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY.  429 

tolerable  tranquility,  not  in  the  least  suspecting  the  reverse  which  was 
preparing  for  us.  Which  of  the  arguments  of  the  Chippeways,  or 
whether  or  not  all  were  deemed  valid  by  the  Ottawas,  I  cannot  say  ; 
but  the  council  was  resumed  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning,  and, 
after  several  speeches  had  been  made  in  it,  the  prisoners  were  sent 
for,  and  returned  to  the  Chippeways. 

The  Ottawas,  who  now  gave  us  into  the  hands  of  the  Chippeways, 
had  themselves  declared  that  the  latter  designed  no  other  than  to  kill 
us,  and  make  broth  of  us.  The  Chippeways,  as  soon  as  we  were  re 
stored  to  them,  marched  us  to  a  village  of  their  own,  situate  on  the 
point  which  is  below  the  Fort,  and  put  us  into  a  lodge,  already  the 
prison  of  fourteen  soldiers,  tied  two  and  two,  with  each  a  rope  about 
his  neck,  and  made  fast  to  a  pole  which  might  be  called  the  supporter 
of  the  building. 

I  was  left  untied ;  but  I  passed  a  night  sleepless  and  full  of  wretch 
edness.  My  bed  was  the  bare  ground,  and  I  was  again  reduced  to  an 
old  shirt,  as  my  entire  apparel  ;  the  blanket  which  I  had  received, 
through  the  generosity  of  M.  Cuchoise,  having  been  taken  from  me 
among  the  Ottawas,  when  they  seized  upon  myself  and  the  others,  at 
Wagoshense.  I  was,  besides,  in  want  of  food,  having  for  two*  days 
eaten  nothing. 

I  confess  that  in  the  canoe  with  the  Chippeways  I  was  offered 
bread ;  but,  bread,  with  what  accompaniment  ?  They  had  a  loaf,  which 
they  cut  with  the  same  knives  that  they  had  employed  in  the  massa 
cre — knives  still  covered  with  blood.  The  blood  they  moistened  with 
spittle,  and  rubbing  it  on  the  bread,  offered  this  for  food  to  their  pris 
oners,  telling  them  to  eat  the  blood  of  their  countrymen. 

Such  was  my  situation  on  the  morning  of  the  seventh  of  June,  in  the 
year  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty-three  ;  but  a  few  hours 
produced  an  event  which  gave  still  a  new  color  to  my  lot. 

Toward  noon,  when  the  great  war-chief,  in  company  with  Wenniway 
was  seated  at  the  opposite  end  of  the  lodge,  my  friend  and  brother,  Wa- 
watam,  suddenly  came  in.  During  the  four  days  preceding,  I  had  often 
wondered  what  had  become  of  him.  In  passing  by  he  gave  me  his  hand 
but  went  immediately  toward  the  great  chief,  by  the  side  of  whom  and 
Wenniway,  he  sat  himself  down.  The  most  uninterrupted  silence  pre 
vailed  ;  each  smoked  his  pipe  ;  and  this  done,  Wawatam  arose,  and  left 
the  lodge,  saying  to  me,  as  he  passed,  "  Take  courage  !  " 

An  hour  elapsed,  during  which  several  chiefs  entered,  and  prepara 
tions  appeared  to  be  making  for  a  council  At  length,  Wawafcam 
re-entered  the  lodge,  followed  by  his  wife,  and  both  loaded  with 


430  ALEXANDER    HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY. 

merchandise,  which  they  carried  up  to  the  chiefs,  and  laid  in  a  heap 
before  them.  Some  moments  of  silence  followed,  at  the  end  of 
which,  Wawatam  pronounced  a  speech,  every  word  of  which,  to  me, 
was  of  extraordinary  interest: 

"Friends  and  relations,"  he  began,  "what  is  it  that  I  shall  say? 
You  know  what  I  feel.  You  all  have  friends  and  brothers  and  chil 
dren,  whom  as  yourselves  you  love;  and  you,  what  would  you  expe 
rience,  did  you,  like  me,  behold  your  dearest  friend — your  brother — in 
the  condition  of  a  slave ;  a  slave  exposed  every  moment  to  insult,  and  to 
menaces  of  death  ?  This  case,  as  you  all  know,  is  mine.  See  there, 
(pointing  to  myself,)  my  friend  and  brother  among  slaves,  himself  a 
slave  ! 

"  You  all  well  know  that  long  before  the  war  began,  I  adopted  him  as 
my  brother.  From  that  moment  he  became  one  of  my  family,  so  that 
no  change  of  circumstances  could  break  the  cord  which  fastened  us 
together. 

"  He  is  my  brother ;  and,  because  I  am  your  relation,  he  is  therefore 
your  relation,  too  :  and  how,  being  your  relation,  can  he  be  your 
slave  ?  , 

"  On  the  day  on  which  the  war  began,  you  were  fearful,  lest  on 
this  very  account,  I  should  reveal  your  secret.  You  requested,  there 
fore,  that  I  would  leave  the  Fort,  and  even  cross  the  lake.  I  did  so, 
but  did  it  with  reluctance.  I  did  it  with  reluctance,  notwithstanding 
that  you,  Menehwehna,  who  had  the  command  in  this  enterprise,  gave 
me  your  promise  that  you  would  protect  my  friend,  delivering  him 
from  all  danger,  and  giving  him  safely  to  me. 

"  The  performance  of  this  promise  I  now  claim.  I  come  not  with 
empty  hands  to  ask  it.  You,  Menehwehna,  best  know  whether  or  not, 
as  it  respects  yourself,  you  have  kept  your  word;  but  I  bring  these 
goods,  to  buy  off  every  claim  which  any  man  among  you  all  may  have 
on  my  brother,  as  his  prisoner." 

Wawatam  having  ceased,  the  pipes  were  again  filled ;  and,  after  they 
were  finished,  a  further  period  of  silence  followed.  At  the  end  of 
this,  Menehwehna  arose  and  gave  his  reply: 

"  My  relation  and  brother,"  said  he,  "  what  you  have  spoken  is  the 
truth.  We  were  acquainted  with  the  friendship  which  subsisted  between 
yourself  and  the  Englishman,  in  whose  behalf  you  have  now  addressed 
us.  We  knew  the  danger  of  having  our  secret  discovered,  and  the 
consequences  which  must  follow ;  and  you  say  truly  that  we  requested 
you  to  leave  the  Fort  This  we  did  out  of  regard  for  you  and  your 
family;  for,  if  a  discovery  of  our  design  had  been  made,  you  would 


ALEXANDER   HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY.  431 

have  been  blamed,  whether  guilty  or  not;  and  you  would  thus  have 
been  involved  in  difficulties  from  which  you  could  not  have  extri 
cated  yoursel£ 

"It  is  also  true  that  I  promised  you  to  take  care  of  your  friend; 
and  this  promise  I  performed,  by  desiring  my  son,  at  the  moment  of 
assault,  to  seek  him  out,  and  bring  him  to  my  lodge.  He  went 
accordingly,  but  could  not  find  him.  The  day  after  I  sent  him  to 
Langlade's,  when  he  was  ihformed  that  your  friend  was  safe ;  and  had 
it  not  been  that  the  Indians  were  then  drinking  the  rum  which  had 
been  found  in  the  Fort,  he  would  have  brought  him  home  with  him, 
according  to  my  orders. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  find  that  your  friend  has  escaped.  We  ac 
cept  your  present;  and  you  may  take  him  home  with  you." 

Wawatam  thanked  the  assembled  chiefs,  and  taking  me  by  the 
hand,  led  me  to  his  lodge,  which  was  at  the  distance  of  a  few  yards 
only  from  the  prison  lodge.  My  entrance  appeared  to  give  joy  to  the 
whole  family ;  food  was  immediately  prepared  for  me ;  and  I  now  ate 
the  first  hearty  meal  which  I  had  made  since  my  capture.  I  found 
myself  one  of  the  family;  and  but  that  I  had  still  my  fears,  as  to 
the  other  Indians,  I  felt  as  happy  as  the  situation  could  allow. 

In  the  course  of  the  next  morning,  I  was  alarmed  by  a  noise  in 
the  prison  lodge ;  and  looking  through  the  openings  of  the  lodge  in 
which  I  w^as,  I  saw  seven  dead  bodies  of  white  men  dragged  forth. 
Upon  my  inquiry  into  the  occasion,  I  was  informed  that  a  certain 
chief,  called  by  the  Canadians  Le  Grand  Sable,  had  not  long  before 
arrived  from  his  winter's  hunt ;  and  that  he  having  been  absent  when 
the  war  begun,  and  being  now  desirous  of  manifesting  to  the  Indiana 
at  large  his  hearty  concurrence  in  what  they  had  done,  had  gone 
into  the  prison  lodge,  and  there,  with  his  knife,  put  the  seven  men, 
whose  bodies  I  had  seen,  to  death. 

Shortly  after,  two  of  the  Indians  took  one  of  the  dead  bodies,  which 
they  chose  as  being  the  fattest,  cut  off  the  head,  and  divided  the  whole 
into  five  parts,  one  of  which  was  put  into  each  of  five  kettles,  hung  over 
as  many  fires  kindled  for  this  purpose,  at  the  door  of  the  prison  lodge. 
Soon  after  things  were  so  far  prepared,  a  message  came  to  our  lodge, 
with  an  invitation  to  Wawatam  to  assist  at  the  feast. 

An  invitation  to  a  feast  is  given  by  him  who  is  the  master  of  it.     Small 

cuttings  of    cedar  wood,  of  about   four   inches  in   length,  supply  the 

place  of  cards ;  and  the  bearer  by  word  of  mouth  states  the  particulars. 

Wawatam  obeyed  the  summons,  taking  with  him,  as  usual,  to  the 

place   of  entertainment,  his  dish  and  spoon. 


432  ALEXANDER   HENRY'S   CAPTIVITY. 

After  an  absence  of  about  half  an  hour,  he  returned,  bringing  in  his 
dish  a  human  hand,  and  a  large  piece  of  flesh.  He  did  not  appear  to 
relish  the  repast,  but  told  me  that  it  was  then,  and  always  had  been 
the  custom  among  all  the  Indian  nations,  when  returning  from  war,  or 
on  overcoming  their  enemies,  to  make  a  war-feast  from  among  the  slain. 
This  he  said  inspired  the  warrior  with  courage  hi  attack,  and  bred  him 
to  meet  death  with  fearlessness. 

In  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  a  large  canoe,  such  as  those  which 
came  from  Montreal,  was  seen  advancing  to  the  fort  It  was  full  of 
men,  and  I  distinguished  several  passengers.  The  Indian  cry  was  made 
in  the  village;  a  general  muster  ordered  ;  and  to  the  number  of  two 
hundred  they  marched  up  to  the  fort,  where  the  canoe  was  expected 
to  land.  The  canoe,  suspecting  nothing,  came  boldly  to  the  fort,  where 
the  passengers,  as  being  English  traders,  were  seized,  dragged  through 
the  water,  beat,  reviled,  marched  to  the  prison  lodge,  and  there  stripped 
of  their  clothes  and  confined. 

Of  the  English  traders  that  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Indians  at 
the  capture  of  the  Fort,  Mr.  Tracy  was  the  only  one  who  lost  his  life. 
Mr.  Ezekiel  Solomons  and  Mr.  Henry  Bostwick  were  taken  by  the  Otta- 
was,  and  after  the  peace  carried  down  to  Montreal,  and  there  ransomed. 
Of  ninety  troops,  about  seventy  were  killed ;  the  rest,  together  with  those 
of  the  posts  in  the  Bay  des  Puants,  and  at  the  river  St.  Joseph,  were 
also  kept  in  safety  by  the  Ottawas  till  the  peace,  and  then  either  freely 
restored,  or  ransomed  at  Montreal.  The  Ottawas  never  overcame  their 
disgust  at  the  neglect  with  which  they  had  been  treated,  in  the  be 
ginning  of  the  war,  by  those  who  afterwards  desired  their  assistance 
as  allies. 

In  the  morning  of  the  ninth  of  June,  a  general  council  was  held, 
at  which  it  was  agreed  to  remove  to  the  island  of  Michilimackinac,  as  a 
more  defensible  situation  in  the  event  of  an  attack  by  the  English.  The 
Indians  had  begun  to  entertain  apprehensions  of  want  of  strength.  No 
news  had  reached  them  from  the  Potawatamies,  in  the  Bay  des  Puants ; 
and  they  were  uncertain  whether  or  not  the  Monomins  would  join 
them.  They  even  feared  that  the  Sioux  would  take  the  English  side. 

This  resolution  fixed,  they  prepared  for  a  speedy  retreat.  At  noon 
the  camp  was  broken  up,  and  we  embarked,  taking  with  us  the  pris 
oners  that  were  still  undisposed  of.  On  our  passage  we  encountered 
a  gale  of  wind,  and  there  were  some  appearances  of  danger.  To  avert 
it,  a  dog,  of  which  the  legs  were  previously  tied  together,  was  thrown 
into  the  lake ;  an  offering  designed  to  soothe  the  angry  passions  of  some 
offended  Manito. 


ALEXANDER   HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY.  433 

As  we  approached  the  island,  two  women  in  the  canoe  in  which  I 
was,  began  to  utter  melancholy  and  hideous  cries.  Precarious  as  my 
condition  still  remained,  I  experienced  some  sensations  of  alarm  from 
these  dismal  sounds,  of  which  I  could  not  then  discover  the  occasion. 
Subsequently,  I  learned  that  it  is  customary  for  the  women,  on  passing- 
near  the  burial  places  of  relations,  never  to  omit  the  practice  of  which 
I  was  now  a  witness,  and  by  which  they  intend  to  denote  their  grief. 

By  the  approach  of  evening  we  reached  the  island  in  safety,  and  the 
women  were  not  long  in  erecting  our  cabins.  In  the  morning,  there 
was  a  muster  of  the  Indians,  at  which  there  were  found  three  hundred 
and  fifty  fighting  men. 

In  the  course  of  the  day,  there  arrived  a  canoe  from  Detroit,  with 
ambassadors,  who  endeavored  to  prevail  on  the  Indians  to  repair  thither 
to  the  assistance  of  Pontiac ;  but  fear  was  now  the  prevailing  passion. 
A  guard  was  kept  during  the  day,  and  a  watch  by  night,  and  alarms 
were  very  frequently  spread.  Had  an  enemy  appeared,  all  the  pris 
oners  would  have  been  put  to  death ;  and  I  suspected  that,  as  an 
Englishman,  I  should  share  their  fate. 

Several  days  had  now  passed,  when  one  morning  a  continued  alarm 
prevailed,  and  I  saw  the  Indians  running  in  a  confused  manner  toward 
the  beach.  In  a  short  time  I  learned  that  two  large  canoes  from 
Montreal  were  in  sight. 

All  the  Indian  canoes  were  immediately  manned,  and  those  from 
Montreal  were  surrounded  and  seized,  as  they  turned  a  point  behind 
which  the  flotilla  had  been  concealed.  The  goods  were  consigned  to 
a  Mr.  Levy,  and  would  have  been  saved  if  the  canoe  men  had  called 
them  French  property ;  but  they  were  terrified  and  disguised  nothing. 

In  the  canoes  was  a  large  proportion  of  liquor,  a  dangerous  acqui 
sition,  and  which  threatened  disturbance  among  the  Indians,  even  to 
the  loss  of  their  dearest  friends.  Wawatam,  always  watchful  of  my 
safety,  no  sooner  heard  the  noise  of  drunkenness,  which  in  the  evening 
did  not  fail  to  begin,  than  he  represented  to  me  the  danger  of  remaining 
in  the  village,  and  owned  that  he  could  not  himself  resist  the  temptation 
of  joining  his  comrades  in  the  debauch.  That  I  might  escape  all  mischief 
he  therefore  requested  that  I  would  accompany  him  to  the  mountain, 
where  I  was  to  remain  hidden  till  the  liquor  should  be  drank. 

We  ascended  the  mountain  accordingly.  It  is  this  mountain  which 
constitutes  that  high  land  in  the  middle  of  the  island,  of  which  I  have 
spoken  before,  as  a  figure  considered  as  resembling  a  turtle,  and  therefore 
called  MichilimacTcinac.  It  is  thickly  covered  with  wood,  and  very 
rocky  toward  the  top.  After  walking  more  than  half  a  mile,  we  came 

28 


434  ALEXANDER   HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY. 

to  a  large  rock,  at  the  base  of  which  was  an  opening,  dark  within,  and 
appearing  to  be  the  entrance  of  a  cave. 

Here,  Wawatam  recommended  that  I  should  take  up  my  lodging,  and 
by  all  means  remain  till  he  returned. 

On  going  into  the  cave,  of  which  the  entrance  was  nearly  ten  feet 
wide,  I  found  the  further  end  to  be  rounded  in  its  shape,  like  that  of 
an  oven,  but  with  a  further  aperture,  too  small,  however,  to  be  explored. 

After  thus  looking  around  me,  I  broke  small  branches  from  the 
trees,  and  spread  them  for  a  bed;  then  wrapped  myself  in  my  blanket 
and  slept  till  daybreak. 

On  awaking  I  felt  myself  incommoded  by  some  object  upon  which 
I  lay ;  and  removing  it,  found  it  to  be  a  bone.  This  I  supposed  to  be 
that  of  a  deer,  or  some  other  animal,  and  what  might  very  naturally 
be  looked  for  in  the  place  in  which  it  was ;  but,  when  daylight  visited 
my  chamber,  I  discovered,  with  some  feelings  of  horror,  that  I  was 
lying  on  nothing  less  than  a  heap  of  human  bones  and  skulls,  which 
covered  all  the  floor! 

The  day  passed  without  the  return  of  Wawatam,  and  without  food. 
As  night  approached,  I  found  myself  unable  to  meet  its  darkness  in 
the  charnel-house,  which,  nevertheless,  I  had  viewed  free  from  uneasi- 
ness  during  the  day.  I  chose,  therefore,  an  adjacent  bush  for  this  night's 
lodging,  and  slept  under  it  as  before ;  but  in  the  morning,  I  awoke  hun 
gry  and  dispirited,  and  almost  envying  the  dry  bones,  to  the  view  of 
which  I  returned.  At  length  the  sound  of  a  foot  reached  me,  and  my 
Indian  friend  appeared,  making  many  apologies  for  his  long  absence, 
the  cause  of  which  was  an  unfortunate  excess  in  the  enjoyment  of  his 
liquor. 

This  point  being  explained,  I  mentioned  the  extraordinary  sight  that 
had  presented  itself  in  the  cave  to  which  he  had  commended  my  slum 
bers.  He  had  never  heard  of  its  existence  before;  and,  upon  exam 
ining  the  cave  together,  we  saw  reason  to  believe  that  it  had  been 
anciently  filled  with  human  bodies. 

On  returning  to  the  lodge,  I  experienced  a  cordial  reception  from 
the  family,  which  consisted  of  the  wife  of  my  friend,  his  two  snos,  of 
whom  the  eldest  was  married,  and  whose  wife,  and  a  daughter  of 
thirteen  years  of  age,  completed  the  list 

Wawatam  related  to  the  other  Indians,  the  adventure  of  the  bones. 
All  of  them  expressed  surprise  at  hearing  it,  and  declared  that  they  had 
never  been  aware  of  the  contents  of  this  cave  before.  After  visiting  it, 
which  they  immediately  did,  almost  every  one  offered  a  different  opinion 
as  to  its  history. 


ALEXANDER   HENRY'S   CAPTIVITY.  436 

Some  advanced,  that  at  a  period  when  the  waters  overflowed  the 
land,  (an  event  which  makes  a  distinguished  figure  in  the  history  of  their 
world,)  the  inhabitants  of  this  island  had  fled  into  the  cave,  and  been 
there  drowned;  others,  that  those  same  inhabitants,  when  the  Hurons 
made  war  upon  them,  (as  tradition  says  they  did,)  hid  themselves  in 
the  cave,  and  being  discovered,  were  there  massacred.  For  myself,  I 
am  disposed  to  believe  that  this  cave  was  an  ancient  receptacle  of  the 
bones  of  prisoners,  sacrificed  and  devoured  at  war-feasts.  I  have  always 
observed  that  the  Indians  pay  particular  attention  to  the  bones  of  sac 
rifices,  preserving  them  unbroken,  and  depositing  them  in  some  place 
kept  exclusively  for  that  purpose. 

A  few  days  after  the  occurrence  of  the  incidents  recorded  above, 
Menehwehna,  whom  I  now  found  to  be  the  great  chief  of  the  village 
of  Michilimackinac,  came  to  the  lodge  of  my  friend ;  and  when  the  usual 
ceremony  of  smoking  was  finished,  he  observed  that  Indians  were  now 
daily  arriving  from  Detroit,  some  of  whom  had  lost  relations  or  friends 
in  the  war,  and  who  would  certainly  retaliate  on  any  Englishman  they 
found ;  upon  which  account,  his  errand  was  to  advise  that  I  should  be 
dressed  like  an  Indian,  an  expedient  whence  I  might  hope  to  escape  all 
future  insult. 

I  could  not  but  consent  to  the  proposal,  and  the  chief  was  so  kind 
as  to  assist  my  friend  and  his  family  in  effecting  that  very  day  the 
desired  metamorphosis.  My  hair  was  cut  off,  and  my  head  shaved, 
with  the  exception  of  a  spot  on  the  crown,  of  about  twice  the  diameter  of 
a  crown-piece.  My  face  was  painted  with  three  or  four  different  colors; 
some  parts  of  it  red,  and  others  black.  A  shirt  was  provided  for  me, 
painted  with  vermilion,  mixed  with  grease.  A  large  collar  of  wampum 
was  put  round  my  neck,  and  another  suspended  on  my  breast.  Both 
mv  arms  were  decorated  with  large  bands  of  silver  above  the  elbow, 
besides  several  smaller  ones  on  the  wrists;  and  my  legs  were  covered 
with  mitases,  a  kind  of  hose,  made,  as  is  the  favorite  fashion,  of  scarlet 
cloth.  Over  all,  I  was  to  wear  a  scarlet  blanket  or  mantle,  and  on  my 
head  a  large  bunch  of  feathers.  I  parted,  not  without  some  regret, 
with  the  lono*  hair  which  was  natural  to  it,  and  which  I  fancied  to  be 

O 

ornamental;  but  the  ladies  of  the  family,  and  of  the  village  in  general, 
anpeared  to  think  my  person  improved,  and  now  condescended  to  call 
me  handsome,  even  among  Indians. 

Protected,  in  a  great  measure,  by  this  disguise,  I  felt  myself  more  at 
liberty  than  before ;  and  the  season  being  arrived  in  which  my  clerks 
irom  the  interior  were  to  be  expected,  and  some  part  of  my  property, 
as  I  had  a  right  to  hope,  recovered,  I  begged  the  favor  of  Wawatam 


436  ALEXANDER    HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY. 

that  he  would  enable  me  to  pay  a  short  visit  to  Michilimackinac.  He 
did  not  fail  to  comply,  and  I  succeeded  in  finding  my  clerks ;  but,  either 
through  the  disturbed  state  of  the  country,  as  they  represented  to  be 
the  case,  or  through  their  misconduct,  as  I  had  reason  to  think,  I  ob 
tained  nothing;  and  nothing,  or  almost  nothing,  I  now  began  to  think 
would  be  all  that  I  should  need  during  the  rest  of  my  life.  To  fish 
and  to  hunt,  to  collect  a  few  skins,  and  exchange  them  for  necessaries, 
was  all  that  I  seemed  destined  to  do,  and  to  acquire,  for  the  future. 

I  returned  to  the  Indian  village,  where  at  this  time  much  scarcity 
of  food  prevailed.  We  were  often  for  twenty-four  houra  without  eating; 
and  when  in  the  morning  we  had  no  victuals  for  the  day  before  us,  the 
custom  was  to  black  our  faces  with  grease  and  charcoal,  and  exhibit, 
through  resignation,  a  temper  as  cheerful  as  if  in  the  midst  of  plenty. 

A  repetition  of  the  evil,  however,  soon  induced  us  to  leave  the  island  in 
search  of  food ;  and  accordingly  AVC  departed  for  the  bay  of  Boutchitaouy ; 
distant  eight  leagues,  and  where  we  found  plenty  of  wild  fowl  and  fish. 

While  in  the  bay,  my  guardian's  daughter-in-law  was  taken  in  labor 
of  her  first  child.  She  was  immediately  removed  out  of  the  common 
lodge;  and  a  small  one,  for  her  separate  accommodation  was  begun 
and  finished  by  the  women  in  less  than  half  an  hour. 

The  next  morning  we  heard  that  she  was  very  ill,  and  the  family 
began  to  be  much  alarmed  on  her  account;  the  more  so,  no  doubt, 
because  cases  of  difficult  labor  are  very  rare  among  Indian  women.  In 
this  distress,  Wawatam  requested  me  to  accompany  him  into  the  woods; 
and  on  our  way  informed  me  that  if  he  could  find  a  snake,  he  should 
socn  secure  relief  to  his  daughter-in-law. 

On  reaching  some  wet  ground,  we  speedily  obtained  the  object  of  our 
search,  in  a  small  snake,  of  the  kind  called  the  garter  snake.  Wawatam 
seized  it  by  the  neck,  and  holding  it  fast,  while  it  coiled  itself  round 
his  arm,  he  cut  off  its  head,  catching  the  blood  in  a  cup  that  he  had 
brought  with  him.  This  done,  he  threw  away  the  snake,  and  carried 
home  the  blood,  which  he  mixed  with  a  quantity  of  water.  Of  this 
mixture  he  administered  first  one  table- spoonful,  and  shortly  after  a 
second.  Within  an  hour  the  patient  was  safely  delivered  of  a  fine  child ; 
and  Wawatum  subsequently  declared  that  the  remedy,  to  which  he  had 
resorted,  was  one  that  never  failed.  , 

On  the  next  day,  we  left  the  bay  of  Boutchitaouy ;  and  the  young 
mother,  in  high  spirits,  assisted  in  loading  the  canoe,  barefooted,  and 
knee-deep  in  the  water. 

The  medical  information,  the  diseases,  and  the  remedies  of  the  Indians, 
often  engaged  my  curiosity  during  the  period  through  which  I  was 


ALEXANDER   HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY  .         437 

familiar  with  these  nations ;  and  I  shall  take  this  occasion  to  introduce 
a  few  particulars  connected  with  their  history. 

The  Indians  are  in  general  free  from  disorders;  and  an  instance  of 
their  being  subject  to  dropsy,  gout^  or  stone,  never  came  within  my 
knowledge.  Inflammations  of  the  lungs  are  among  their  most  ordinary 
complaints;  and  rheumatism  still  more  so,  especially  with  the  aged. 
Their  mode  of  life,  in  which  they  are  so  much  exposed  to  the  wet 
and  cold,  sleeping  on  the  ground,  and  inhaling  the  night  air,  sufficiently 
accounts  for  their  liability  to  these  diseases.  The  remedies  on  which 
they  most  rely  are  emetics,  cathartics,  and  the  lancet;  but  especially 
the  last.  Bleeding  is  so  favorite  an  operation  among  the  women  that 
they  never  lose  an  occasion  of  enjoying  it,  whether  sick  or  well.  I  have 
sometimes  bled  a  dozen  women  in  a  morning  as  they  sat  in  a  row,  along 
a  fallen  tree,  beginning  with  the  first,  opening  the  vein,  then  proceeding 
to  the  second,  and  so  on,  having  three  or  four  individuals  bleeding  at 
the  same  time. 

In  most  villages,  and  particularly  in  those  of  the  Chippeways,  this 
.service  was  required  of  me ;  and  no  persuasion  of  mine  could  ever 
induce  a  woman  to  dispense  with  it. 

In  all  parts  of  the  country,  and  among  all  the  nations  that  I  have  seen, 
particular  individuals  arrogate  to  themselves  the  art  of  healing,  but 
principally  by  means  of  pretended  sorcery;  and  operations  of  this  sort 
are  always  paid  for  by  a  present  made  before  they  are  begun.  Indeed, 
whatever,  as  an  impostor,  may  be  the  demerits  of  the  operator,  his 
reward  may  generally  be  said  to  be  fairly  earned  by  dint  of  corporeal 
labor. 

I  was  once  present  at  a  performance  of  this  kind,  in  which  the  patient 
was  a  female  child  of  about  twelve  years  of  age.  Several  of  the  elder 
chiefs  were  invited  to  the  scene;  and  the  same  compliment  was  paid 
to  myself,  on  account  of  the  medical  skill  for  which  it  was  pleased  to 
give  me  credit. 

The  physician  (so  to  call  him)  seated  himself  on  the  ground;  and 
before  him,  on  a  new  stroud  blanket,  was  placed  a  basin  of  water, 
in  which  were  three  bones,  the  larger  ones,  as  it  appeared  to  me,  of  a 
swan's  wing.  In  his  hand  he  had  his  shishiquoi,  or  rattle,  with  which 
he  beat  time  to  his  medicine  song.  The  sick  child  lay  on  a  blanket,  near 
the  physician,  she  appeared  to  have  much  fever,  and  a  severe  oppression 
of  the  lungs,  breathing  with  difficulty,  and  betraying  symptoms  of  the 
last  stage  of  consumption. 

After  singing  for  some  time,  the  physician  took  one  of  the  bones  out 
of  the  basin :  the  bone  was  hollow ;  and  one  end  being  applied  to  the 


438  ALEXANDER   HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY. 

breast  of  the  patient,  he  put  the  other  into  his  mouth,  in  order  to 
remove  the  disorder  bv  suction.  Having  persevered  in  this  as  long  as 
he  thought  proper,  he  suddenly  seemed  to  force  the  bone  into  his 
mouth,  and  swallow  it  He  now  acted  the  part  of  one  suffering  severe 
pain;  but,  presently,  finding  relief,  he  made  a  long  speech,  and  after 
this  returned  to  singing,  and  to  the  accompaniment  of  his  rattle.  With 
the  latter  during  his  song,  he  struck  his  head,  breast,  sides,  and  back, 
at  the  same  time  straining,  as  if  to  vomit  forth  the  bone. 

Relinquishing  this  attempt,  he  applied  himself  to  suction  a  second 
time,  and  with  the  second  of  the  three  bones;  and  this  also  he  soon 
seemed  to  swallow. 

Upon  its  disappearance,  he  began  to  distort  himself  in  the  most  fright 
ful  manner,  using  every  gesture  which  conld  convey  the  idea  of  pain ; 
at  length  he  succeeded,  or  pretended  to  succeed,  in  throwing  up  one 
of  the  bones.  This  was  handed  about  to  the  spectators,  and  strictly 
examined;  but  nothing  remarkable  could  be  discovered.  Upon  this, 
he  went  back  to  his  song  and  rattle ;  and  after  some  time  threw  up  the 
second  of  the  two  bones.  In  the  groove  of  this,  the  physician  upon 
examination,  found,  and  displayed  to  all  present,  a  small  white  substance, 
resembling  a  piece  of  the  quill  of  a  feather.  It  was  passed  round  the 
company  from  one  to  the  other;  and  declared,  by  the  physician,  to 
be  the  thing  causing  the  disorder  of  his  patient. 

The  multitude  believe  that  these  physicians,  whom  the  French  call 
jongleurs,  or  jugglers,  can  inflict  as  well  as  remove  disorders.  They 
believe  that  by  drawing  the  figure  of  any  person  in  sand  or  ashes, 
or  on  clay,  or  by  considering  any  object  as  the  figure  of  a  person,  and 
then  pricking  it  with  a  sharp  stick,  or  other  substance,  or  doing,  in  any 
other  manner,  that  which  done  to  a  living  body  would  cause  pain  or 
injury,  the  individual  represented,  or  supposed  to  be  represented,  will 
suffer  accordingly.  On  the  other  hand,  the  mischief  being  done,  another 
physician,  of  equal  pretensions,  can  by  suction  remove  it.  Unfortunately^ 
however,  the  operations  which  I  have  described  were  not  successful  in 
the  instance  referred  to;  for,  on  the  day  after  they  had  taken  place, 
the  girl  died. 

With  regard  to  flesh-wounds,  the  Indians  certainly  effect  astonishing 
cures.  Here,  as  above,  much  that  is  fantastic  occurs;  but  the  success 
of  their  practice  evinces  something  solid. 

At  the  Sault  de  Sainte-Marie  I  knew  a  man  who,  in  the  result  of  a 
quarrel,  received  the  stroke  of  an  axe  in  his  side.  The  blow  was  so 
violent,  and  the  axe  driven  so  deep,  that  the  wretch  who  held  it  could 
not  withdraw  it,  but  left  it  hi  the  wound,  and  fled.  Shortly  after,  the 


ALEXANDER   HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY.  439 

man  was  found,  and  brought  into  the  fort,  where  several  other  Indians 
came  to  his  assistance.  Among  these,  one,  who  was  a  physician  im 
mediately  withdrew,  in  order  to  fetch  his  penegusan,  or  medicine  bag, 
with  which  he  soon  returned.  The  eyes  of  the  sufferer  were  fixed, 
his  teeth  closed,  and  his  case  apparently  desperate. 

The  physician  took  from  his  bag  a  small  portion  of  a  very  white 
substance,  resembling  that  of  a  bone ;  this  he  scraped  into  a  little  water, 
and  forcing  open  the  jaws  of  the  patient  with  a  stick,  he  poured  the 
mixture  down  his  throat.  What  followed  was,  that  in  a  very  short 
space  of  time  the  wounded  man  moved  his  eyes :  and  beginning  to  vomit, 
threw  up  a  small  lump  of  clotted  blood. 

The  physician  now,  and  not  before,  examined  the  wound,  from  which 
I  could  see  the  breath  escape,  and  from  which  a  part  of  the  omentum 
depended.  This  the  physician  did  not  set  about  to  restore  to  its  place, 
but,  cutting  it  away,  minced  it  into  small  pieces,  and  made  his  patient 
swallow  it. 

The  man  was  then  carried  to  his  lodge,  where  I  visited  him  daily.  By 
the  sixth  day  he  was  able  to  walk  about;  and  within  a  month  he  grew 
quite  well,  except  that  he  was  troubled  with  a  cough.  Twenty  years 
after  his  misfortune  he  was  still  alive. 

Another  man,  being  on  his  wintering-ground,  and  from  home,  hunt 
ing  beaver,  was  crossing  a  lake,  covered  with  smooth  ice,  with  two 
beavers  on  his  back,  when  his  foot  slipped,  and  he  fell.  At  his  side, 
in  his  belt,  was  his  axe,  the  blade  of  which  came  upon  the  joint  of 
his  wrist;  and,  the  weight  of  his  body  coming  upon  the  blade,  his 
hand  was  completely  separated  frota  his  arm,  with  the  exception  of  a 
small  piece  of  the  skin.  He  had  to  walk  three  miles  to  his  lodge,  which 
was  thus  far  away.  The  skin,  which  alone  retained  his  hand  to  his 
arm,  he  cut  through,  with  the  same  axe  which  had  done  the  rest;  and 
fortunately  having  on  a  shirt,  he  took  it  off,  tore  it  up,  and  made  a 
strong  ligature  above  the  wrist,  so  as  in  some  measure  to  avoid  the  loss 
of  blood.  On  reaching  his  lodge,  he  cured  the  wound  himself,  by  the 
mere  use  of  simples.  I  was  a  witness  to  its  perfect  healing. 

I  have  said  that  these  physicians,  jugglers,  or  practitioners  of  pre 
tended  sorcery,  are  supposed  to  be  capable  of  inflicting  diseases;  and 
I  may  add,  that  they  are  sometimes  themselves  sufferers  on  this 
account  In  one  instance  I  saw  one  of  them  killed,  by  a  man  who 
charged  him  with  having  brought  his  brother  to  death  by  malefic  arts. 
The  accuser,  in  his  rage,  thrust  his  knife  into  the  belly  of  the  accused, 
and  ripped  it  open.  The  latter  caught  his  bowels  in  his  arms,  and  thus 


440 


ALEXANDER    HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY. 


walked  toward  his  lodge,  gathering  them  up,  from  time  to  time,  as  they 
escaped  his  hold.  His  lodge  was  at  no  considerable  distance,  and  he 
reached  it  alive,  and  died  in  it 

Our  next  encampment  was  on  the  island  of  Saint-Martin,  off  Cape 
Saint-Ignace,  so  called  from  the  Jesuit  mission  of  Saint  Ignatius  to  the 
Hurons,  formerly  established  there.  Our  object  was  to  fish  for  sturgeon, 
which  we  did  with  great  success;  and  here,  in  the  enjoyment  of  a 
plentiful  and  excellent  supply  of  food,  we  remained  until  the  twentieth 
day  of  August  At  this  time,  the  autumn  being  at  hand,  and  a  sure 
prospect  of  increased  security  from  hostile  Indians  afforded,  Wawatam 
proposed  going  'to  his  intended  wintering-ground.  The  removal  was  a 
subject  of  the  greatest  joy  to  myself,  on  account  of  the  frequent  insults, 
to  which  I  had  still  to  submit,  from  the  Indians  of  our  band  or  village, 
and  to  escape  from  which  I  would  freely  have  gone  almost  anywhere. 
At  our  wintering-ground  we  were  to  be  alone ;  for  the  Indian  families, 
in  the  countries  of  which  I  write,  separate  in  the  winter  season,  for  the 
convenience  as  well  of  subsistence  as  of  the  chase,  and  re-associate  in 
the  spring  and  summer. 

In  preparation,  our  first  business  was  to  sail  for  Michilimackinac,  where 
being  arrived,  we  procured  from  a  Canadian  trader,  on  credit,  some  tri 
fling  articles,  together  with  ammunition,  and  two  bushels  of  maize.  This 
done,  we  steered  directly  for  lake  Michigan.  At  L'Arbre  Croche  we. 
stopped  one  day  on  a  visit  to  the  Ottawas,  where  all  the  people,  and 
particularly  Okinochumaki,  the  chief,  the  same  who  took  me  from  the 
Chippeways,  behaved  with  great  civility  and  kindness.  The  chief  pre 
sented  me  with  a  bag  of  maize.  It  is  the  Ottawas,  it  will  be  remem 
bered,  who  raise  this  grain  for  the  market  of  Michilimackinac. 

Leaving  L'Arbre  Croche,  we  proceeded  direct  to  the  mouth  of  the 
river  Aux  Sables,  on  the  south  side  of  the  lake,  and  distant  about  a 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  fort  Michilimackinac.  On  our  voyage  we 
passed  several  deep  bays  and  rivers,  and  I  found  the  banks  of  the  lake 
to  consist  in  mere  sands,  without  any  appearance  of  verdure ;  the  sand 
drifting  from  one  hill  to  another,  like  snow  in  winter.  Hence,  all  the 
rivers,  which  here  entered  the  lake,  are  as  much  entitled  to  the  epithet 
of  sandy  as  that  to  which  we  were  bound.  They  are  also  distinguished 
by  another  particularity,  always  observable  in  similar  situations.  The 
current  of  the  stream  being  met,  when  the  wind  is  contrary,  by  the 
waves  of  the  lake,  it  is  driven  back,  and  the  sands  of  the  shore  are  at 
the  same  time  washed  into  its  mouth.  In  consequence,  the  river  is  able 
to  force  a  passage  into  the  lake,  broad  only  in  proportion  to  its  utmost 


ALEXANDER  HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY.  441 

strength ;  while  it  hollows  for  itself,  behind  the  sand-banks,  a  basin  of 
one,  two,  or  three  miles  across.  In  these  rivers  we  killed  many  wild 
fowl  and  beaver. 

To  kill  beaver,  we  used  to  go  several  miles  up  the  rivers,  before  the 
approach  of  night,  and  after  the  dusk  came  on  suffer  the  canoe  to  drift 
gently  down  the  current,  without  noise.  The  beaver  in  this  part  of 
the  evening  come  abroad  to  procure  food,  or  materials  for  repairing  their 
habitations ;  and  as  they  are  not  alarmed  by  the  canoe,  they  often  pass 
it  within  gun-shot. 

While  we  thus  hunted  along  our  way,  I  enjoyed  a  personal  freedom 
of  which  I  had  been  long  deprived,  and  became  as  expert  in  the 
Indian  pursuits  as  the  Indians  themselves. 

On  entering  the  river  Aux  Sables,  Wawatam  took  a  dog,  tied  its  feet 
together,  and  threw  it  into  the  stream,  uttering,  at  the  same  time,  a  long 
prayer,  which  he  addressed  to  the  Great  Spirit,  supplicating  his  bless 
ing  on  the  chase,  and  his  aid  in  the  support  of  the  family,  through  the 
dangers  of  a  long  winter.  Our  lodge  was  fifteen  miles  above  the  mouth 
of  the  stream.  The  principal  animals  which  the  country  afforded  were 
the  stag  or  red  deer,  the  common  American  deer,  the  bear,  raccoon, 
beaver  and  marten. 

The  beaver  feeds  in  preference  on  young  wood  of  the  birch,  aspen, 
and  poplar  tree,  (populus  nigra  called  by  the  Canadians  liard,^  but  in 
defect  of  these  on  any  other  tree,  those  of  the  pine  and  fir  kinds  ex- 
cepted.  These  latter  it  employs  only  for  building  its  dams  and  houses. 
In  wide  meadows,  where  no  wood  is  to  be  found,  it  resorts,  for  all  its 
purposes,  to  the  roots  of  the  rush  and  water  lilly.  It  consumes  great 
quantities  of  food,  whether  of  roots  or  wood;  and  hence  often  reduces 
itself  to  the  necessity  of  removing  into  a  new  quarter.  Its  house  has  an 
arched  dome-like  roof,  of  an  elliptical  figure,  and  rises  from  three  to  four 
feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water.  It  is  always  entirely  surrounded 
by  water;  but,  in  the  banks  adjacent,  the  animal  provides  holes  or 
washes,  of  which  the  entrance  is  below  the  surface,  and  to  which  it 
retreats  on  the  first  alarm. 

The  female  beaver  usually  produces  two  young  at  a  time,  but  not 
unfrequently  more.  During  the  first  year  the  young  remain  with  their 
parents.  In  the  second  they  occupy  an  adjoining  apartment,  and  assist 
in  building,  and  in  .procuring  food.  At  two  years  old,  they  part,  and 
build  houses  of  their  own ;  but  often  rove  about  for  a  considerable  time, 
before  they  fix  upon  a  spot  There  are  beavers,  called  by  the  Indians 
old  bachelors,  who  live  by  themselves,  build  no  houses,  and  work  at  no 
dams,  but  shelter  themselves  in  holes.  The  usual  method  of  taking 


442 


ALEXANDER    HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY. 


these  is  by  traps,  formed  of  iron,  or  logs,  and  baited  with  branches 
of  poplar. 

According  to  the  Indians,  the  beaver  is  much  given  to  jealousy.  If  a 
strange  male  approaches  the  cabin,  a  battle  immediately  ensues.  Of  this 
the  female  remains  an  unconcerned  spectator,  careless  to  which  party 
the  law  of  conquest  may  assign  her.  Among  the  beaver  which  we 
killed,  those  who  were  with  me  pretended  to  show  demonstrations  of 
this  fact;  some  of  the  skins  of  the  males,  and  almost  all  of  the  older 
ones,  bearing  marks-  of  violence,  while  none  were  ever  to  be  seen  on 
the  skins  of  the  females.  The  Indians  add,  that  the  male  is  as  constant 
as  he  is  jealous,  never  attaching  himself  to  more  than  one  female ;  while 
the  female,  on  her  side,  is  always  fond  of  strangers. 

The  most  common  way  of  taking  the  beaver  is  that  of  breaking  up 
its  house,  which  is  done  with  trenching  tools,  during  the  winter,  when 
the  ice  is  strong  enough  to  allow  of  approaching  them ;  and  when,  also, 
the  fur  is  in  its  most  valuable  state. 

Breaking  up  the  house,  however,  is  only  a  preparatory  step.  During 
this  operation,  the  family  make  their  escape  to  one  or  more  of  their 
washes.  These  are  to  be  discovered  by  striking  the  ice  along  the  bank, 
and  where  the  holes  are,  a  hollow  sound  is  returned.  After  discovering 
and  searching  many  of  these  in  vain,  we  often  found  the  whole  family 
together  in  the  same  wash.  I  was  taught  occasionally  to  distinguish  a 
full  wash  from  an  empty  one,  by  the  motion  of  the  water  above  its 
entrance,  occasioned  by  the  breathing  of  the  animals  concealed  in  it. 
From  the  washes  they  must  be  taken  out  with  the  hands ;  and  in  doing 
this,  the  hunter  sometimes  receives  severe  wounds  from  their  teeth. 
While  a  hunter,  I  thought,  with  the  Indians,  that  the  beaver  flesh  was 
very  good ;  but  after  that  of  the  ox  was  again  within  my  reach,  I  could 
not  relish  it  The  tail  is  accounted  a  luxurious  morsel. 

Beavers,  say  the  Indians,  were  formerly  a  people  endowed  with  speech, 
not  less  than  with  the  other  noble  faculties  they  possess ;  but  the  Great 
Spirit  has  taken  this  away  from  them,  lest  they  should  grow  superior 
in  understanding  to  mankind. 

The  raccoon  was  another  object  of  our  chase.  It  was  my  practice  to 
go  out  in  the  evening,  with  dogs,  accompanied  by  the  youngest  son 
of  my  guardian,  to  hunt  this  animal.  The  raccoon  never  leaves  its 
hiding-  place  till  after  sunset. 

As  soon  as  a  dog  falls  on  a  fresh  track  of  the  raccoon,  he  gives  notice 
by  a  cry,  and  immediately  pursues.  His  barking  enables  the  hunter 
to  follow.  The  raccoon,  which  travels  slowly,  and  is  soon  overtaken, 
makes  for  a  tree,  on  which  he  remains  till  shot 


ALEXANDER  HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY.  443 

After  the  falling  of  the  snow,  nothing  more  is  necessary,  for  taking 
the  raccoon,  than  to  follow  the  track  of  his  feet  In  this  season,  he 
seldom  leaves  his  habitation ;  and  he  never  lays  up  any  food.  I  have 
found  six  at  a  time,  in  the  hollow  of  one  tree,  lying  upon  each  other, 
and  nearly  in  a  torpid  state.  In  more  than  one  instance,  I  have  ascer 
tained  that  they  have  lived  six  weeks  without  food.  The  mouse  is  their 
principal  prey. 

Raccoon  hunting  was  my  more  particular  and  daily  employ.  I  usually 
went  out  at  the  first  dawn  of  day,  and  seldom  returned  till  sunset,  or 
till  I  had  laden  myself  with  as  many  animals  as  I  could  carry.  By 
degrees  I  became  familiarized  with  this  kind  of  life;  and  had  it  not 
been  for  the  idea,  of  which  I  could  not  divest  my  mind,  that  I  was 
living  among  savages,  and  for  the  whispers  of  a  lingering  hope,  that  I 
should  one  day  be  released  from  it — or  if  I  could  have  forgotten  that 
I  had  ever  been  otherwise  than  as  I  then  was — I  could  have  enjoyed 
as  much  happiness  in  this  as  in  any  other  situation. 

One  evening,  on  my  return  from  hunting,  I  found  the  fire  put  out, 
and  the  opening  in  the  top  of  the  lodge  covered  over  with  skins ;  by 
this  means  excluding,  as  much  as  possible,  external  light.  I  further 
observed  that  the  ashes  were  removed  from  the  fire-place,  and  that 
dry  sand  was  spread  where  they  had  been.  Soon  after,  a  fire  was 
made  withoutside  the  cabin,  in  the  open  air,  and  a  kettle  hung  over 
it  to  boil. 

I  now  supposed  that  a  feast  was  in  preparation.  I  supposed  so  only, 
for  it  would  have  been  indecorous  to  inquire  into  the  meaning  of  what 
I  saw.  No  person,  among  the  Indians  themselves,  would  use  this 
freedom.  Good  breeding  requires  that  the  spectator  should  patiently 
wait  the  result. 

As  soon  as  the  darkness  of  night  had  arrived,  the  family,  including 
myself,  were  invited  into  the  lodge.  I  was  now  requested  not  to  speak, 
as  a  feast  was  about  to  be  given  to  the  dead,  whose  spirits  delight  in 
uninterrupted  silence. 

As  we  entered,  each  was  presented  with  his  wooden  dish  and  spoon, 
after  receiving  which  we  seated  ourselves.  The  door  was  next  shut, 
and  we  remained  in  perfect  darkness. 

The  master  of  the  family  was  master  of  the  feast.  Still  in  the  dark, 
he  asked  every  one,  by  turn,  for  his  dish,  and  put  into  each  two  boiled 
ears  of  maize.  The  whole  being  served,  he  began  to  speak.  In  his 
discourse,  which  lasted  half  an  hour,  he  called  upon  the  manes  of  his 
deceased  relations  and  friends,  beseeching  them  to  be  present,  to  assist 
him  in  the  chase,  and  to  partake  of  the  food  which  he  had  prepared 


444  ALEXANDER   HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY. 

for  them.  When  he  had  ended,  we  proceeded  to  eat  our  maize,  which 
we  did  without  other  noise  than  what  was  occasioned  by  our  teeth. 
The  maize  was  not  half  boiled,  and  it  took  me  an  hour  to  consume  my 
share.  I  was  requested  not  to  break  the  spikes,  [cob,]  as  this  would  be 
displeasing  to  the  departed  spirits  of  their  friends. 

When  all  was  eaten,  Wawatam  made  another  speech,  with  which  the 
ceremony  ended.  A  new  fire  was  kindled,  with  fresh  sparks,  from  flint 
and  steel ;  and  the  pipes  being  smoked,  the  spikes  were  carefully  buried, 
in  a  hole  made  in  the  ground  for  that  purpose,  within  the  lodge.  This 
done,  the  whole  family  began  a  dance,  Wawatam  singing,  and  beating 
a  drum.  The  dance  continued  the  greater  part  of  the  night,  to  the 
great  pleasure  of  the  lodge.  The  night  of  the  feast  was  that  of  the 
first  day  of  November. 

On  the  twentieth  of  December,  we  took  an  account  of  the  produce 
of  our  hunt,  and  found  that  we  had  a  hundred  beaver  skins,  as  many 
raccoons,  and  a  large  quantity  of  dried  venison ;  all  which  was  secured 
from  the  wolves,  by  being  placed  upon  a  scaffold. 

A  hunting  excursion,  into  the  interior  of  the  country,  was  resolved 
on ;  and  early  next  morning  the  bundles  were  made  up  by  the  women 
for  each  person  to  carry.  I  remarked  that  the  bundle  given  to  me  was 
the  lightest,  and  those  carried  by  the  women  the  largest  and  heaviest 
of  the  whole. 

On  the  first  day  of  our  march,  we  advanced  about  twenty  miles,  and 
then  encamped.  Being  somewhat  fatigued,  I  could  not  hunt;  but  Wa 
watam  killed  a  stag,  not  far  from  our  encampment.  The  next  morning 
we  moved  our  lodge  to  the  carcass.  At  this  station  we  remained  two 
days,  employed  in  drying  the  meat  The  method  was,  to  cut  it  into 
slices,  of  the  thickness  of  a  steak,  and  then  hang  it  over  the  fire  in 
the  smoke.  On  the  third  day  we  removed,  and  marched  till  two  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon. 

While  the  women  were  busy  in  erecting  and  preparing  the  lodges, 
I  took  my  gun  and  strolled  away,  telling  Wawatam  that  I  intended  to 
look  out  for  some  fresh  'meat  for  supper.  He  answered  that  he  would 
do  the  same;  and  on  this  we  both  left  the  encampment,  in  different 
directions. 

The  sun  being  visible,  I  entertained  no  fear  of  losing  my  way ;  but 
in  following  several  tracks  of  animals,  in  momentary  expectation  of 
falling  in  with  the  game,  I  proceeded  to  a  considerable  distance,  and 
it  was  not  till  near  sunset  that  I  thought  of  returning.  The  sky,  too, 
had  become  overcast,  and  I  was  therefore  left  without  the  sun  for  my 
guide.  In  this  situation,  I  walked  as  fast  as  I  could,  always  supposing 


ALEXANDER   HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY.  445 

myself  to  be  approaching  our  encampment,  till  at  length  it  became  so 
dark  that  I  ran  against  the  trees. 

I  became  convinced  that  I  was  lost;  and  I  was  alarmed  by  the 
reflection  that  I  was  in  a  country  entirely  strange  to  me,  and  in  danger 
from  strange  Indians.  With  the  flint  of  my  gun  I  made  a  fire,  and 
then  laid  me  down  to  sleep.  In  the  night,  it  rained  hard.  I  awoke  cold 
and  wet;  and  as  soon  as  light  appeared,  I  recommenced  my  journey, 
sometimes  walking  and  sometimes  running,  unknowing  where  to  go, 
bewildered,  and  like  a  madman. 

Toward  evening,  I  reached  the  border  of  a  large  lake,  of  which  I 
could  scarcely  discern  the  opposite  shore.  I  had  never  heard  of  a  lake 
in  this  part  of  the  country,  and  therefore  felt  myself  removed  further 
than  ever  from  the  object  of  my  pursuit.  To  tread  back  my  steps 
appeared  to  be  the  most  likely  means  of  delivering  myself;  and  I  ac 
cordingly  determined  to  turn  my  face  directly  from  the  lake,  and  keep 
this  direction  as  nearly  as  I  could. 

A  heavy  snow  began  to  descend,  and  night  soon  afterward  came 
on.  On  this,  I  stopped  and  made  a  fire;  and  stripping  a  tree  of  its 
sheet  of  bark,  lay  down  under  it  to  shelter  me  from  the  snow.  All 
night,  at  small  distances,  the  wolves  howled  around,  and  to  me  seemed 
to  be  acquainted  with  my  misfortune. 

Amid  thoughts  the  most  distracted,  I  was  able  at  length  to  fall  asleep ; 
but  it  was  not  long  before  I  awoke,  refreshed,  and  wondeiing  at  the 
terror  to  which  I  had  yielded  myself.  That  I  could  really  have  wanted 
the  means  of  recovering  my  way,  appeared  to  me  almost  incredible,  and 
the  recollection  of  it  like  a  dream,  or  as  a  circumstance  which  must 
have  proceeded  from  the  loss  of  my  senses.  Had  this  not  happened,  I 
could  never,  as  I  now  thought,  have  suffered  so  long,  without  calling  to 
mind  the  lessons  which  I  had  received  from  my  Indian  friend,  for  the 
very  purpose  of  being  useful  to  me  in  difficulties  of  this  kind.  These 
were,  that,  generally  speaking,  the  tops  of  pine  trees  lean  toward  the 
rising  of  the  sun ;  that  moss  grows  toward  the  roots  of  trees  on  the  side 
which  faces  the  north ;  and  that  the  limbs  of  trees  are  most  numerous, 
and  largest  on  that  which  faces  the  south. 

Determined  to  direct  my  feet  by  these  marks,  and  persuaded  that  I 
should  thus,  sooner  or  later,  reach  lake  Michigan,  which  I  reckoned  to 
be  distant  about  sixty  miles,  I  began  my  march  at  break  of  day.  I  had 
not  taken,  nor  wished  to  take,  any  nourishment  since  I  left  the  encamp 
ment;  I  had  with  me  my  gun  and  ammunition,  and  was  therefore 
under  no  anxiety  in  regard  to  food.  The  snow  lay  about  half  a  foot 
in  depth. 


446  ALEXANDER   HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY. 

My  eyes  were  now  employed  upon  the  trees.  When  their  tops 
leaned  different  ways,  I  looked  to  the  moss,  or  to  the  branches;  and 
by  connecting  one  with  another,  I  found  the  means  of  traveling  with 
some  degree  of  confidence.  At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  sun, 
to  my  inexpressible  joy,  broke  from  the  clouds,  and  I  had  now  no 
further  need  of  examining  the  trees. 

In  going  down  the  side  of  a  lofty  hill,  I  saw  a  herd  of  red  deer 
approaching.  Desirous  of  killing  one  of  them  for  food,  I  hid  myself  in 
the  bushes,  and  on  a  large  one  coming  near,  presented  my  piece, 
which  missed  fire,  on  account  of  the  priming  having  been  wetted. 
The  animals  walked  along,  without  taking  the  least  alarm;  and, 
having  reloaded  my  gun,  I  followed  them,  and  presented  a  second 
time.  But  now  a  disaster  of  the  heaviest  kind  had  befallen  me;  for, 
on  attempting  to  fire,  I  found  that  I  had  lost  the  cock.  I  had  pre 
viously  lost  the  screw  by  which  it  was  fastened  to  the  lock;  and  to 
prevent  this  from  being  lost  also,  I  had  tied  it  in  its  place,  with  a 
leather  string.  The  lock,  to  prevent  its  catching  in  the  boughs,  I  had 
carried  under  my  molton  coat. 

Of  all  the  sufferings  which  I  had  experienced,  this  seemed  to  me 
the  most  severe.  I  was  in  a  strange  country,  and  knew  not  how  far 
I  had  to  go.  I  had  been  three  days  without  food;  I  was  withou 
the  means  of  procuring  myself  either  food  or  fire.  Despair  had  almost 
orerpowered  me;  but  I  soon  resigned  myself  into  the  hands  of  that 
Providence,  whose  arm  had  so  often  saved  me,  and  returned  on  my 
track,  in  search  of  what  I  had  lost.  My  search  was  in  vain,  and  I 
resumed  ray  course,  wet,  cold,  and  hungry,  and  almost  without  clothing. 

The  sun  was  setting  fast,  when  I  descended  a  hill,  at  the  bottom 
of  which  was  a  small  lake,  entirely  frozen  over.  On  drawing  near,  I 
saw  a  beaver  lodge  in  the  middle,  offering  some  faint  prospect  of  food; 
but  I  found  it  already  broken  up.  While  I  looked  at  it,  it  suddenly 
occurred  to  me  that  I  had  seen  it  before;  and  turning  my  eyes  round 
the  place,  I  discovered  a  small  tree  which  I  had  myself  cut  down, 
in  the  autumn,  when,  in  company  with  my  friends,  I  had  taken  the 
beaver.  I  was  no  longer  at  a  loss,  but  knew  both  the  distance  and 
the  route  to  the  encampment.  The  latter  was  only  to  follow  the 
course  of  a  small  stream  of  water,  which  ran  from  the  encampment 
to  the  lake  on  which  I  stood.  An  hour  before,  I  had  thought  myself 
the  most  miserable  of  men;  and  now  I  leaped  for  joy,  and  called 
myself  the  happiest. 

The  whole  of  the  night,  and  through  all  the  succeeding  day,  I 
walked  up  the  rivulet,  and  at  sunset  reached  the  encampment,  where 


ALEXANDER  HENRY'S   CAPTIVITY. 


447 


I  was  received  with  the  warmest  expressions  of  pleasure  by  the  family, 
by  whom  I  had  been  given  up  for  lost,  after  a  long  and  vain  search 
for  me  in  the  woods. 

Some  days  elapsed,  during  which  I  rested  myself,  and  recruited 
my  strength ;  after  this,  I  resumed  the  chase,  secure  that,  as  the  snow 
had  now  fallen,  I  could  always  return  by  the  way  I  went. 

In  the  course  of  the  month  of  January,  I  happened  to  observe  that 
the  trunk  of  a  large  pine  tree  was  much  torn  by  the  claws  of  a  boar, 
made  both  in  going  up  and  down.  On  further  examination,  I  saw 
that  there  was  a  large  opening  in  the  upper  part,  near  which  the 
smaller  branches  were  broken.  From  these  marks,  and  from  the 
additional  circumstance  that  there  were  no  tracks  on  the  snow,  there 
was  reason  to  believe  that  a  bear  lay  concealed  in  the  tree. 

On  returning  to  the  lodge,  I  communicated  my  discovery;  and  it 
was  agreed  that  all  the  family  should  go  together  in  the  morning,  to 
assist  in  cutting  down  the  tree,  the  girth  of  which  was  not  less  than 
three  fathoms.  The  women  at  first  opposed  the  undertaking,  because 
our  axes,  being  only  of  a  pound  and  a  half  weight,  were  not  well 
adapted  to  so  heavy  a  labor;  but  the  hope  of  finding  a  large  bear, 
and  obtaining  from  its  fat  a  great  quantity  of  oil,  an  article  at  the 
time  much  wanted,  at  length  prevailed. 

Accordingly,  in  the  morning,  we  surrounded  the  tree,  both  men  and 
women,  as  many  at  a  time  as  could  conveniently  work  at  it;  and  here 
we  toiled  like  beavers  till  the  sun  went  down.  This  day's  work  carried 
us  about  half  way  through  the  trunk  ;  and  the  next  morning  we 
renewed  the  attack,  continuing  it  until  about  two  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon,  when  the  tree  fell  to  the  ground.  For  a  few  minutes,  every  thing 
remained  quiet,  and  I  feared  that  all  our  expectations  were  disappointed ; 
but  as  I  advanced  to  the  opening,  there  came  out,  to  the  great  satisfaction 
of  all  our  party,  a  bear  of  extraordinary  size,  which,  before  she  had 
proceeded  many  yards,  I  shot. 

The  bear  being  dead,  all  my  assistants  approached,  and  all,  but  more 
particularly  my  old  mother,  (as  I  was  wont  to  call  her,)  took  her  head 
in  her  hands,  stroking  and  kissing  it  several  times ;  begging  a  thousand 
pardons  for  taking  away  her  life  ;  calling  her  their  relation  and  grand 
mother;  and  requesting  her  not  to  lay  the  fault  upon  them,  since  it  was 
truly  an  Englishman  that  had  put  her  to  death. 

This  ceremony  was  not  of  long  duration  ;  and  if  it  was  I  that  killed 
their  grandmother,  they  were  not  themselves  behindhand  in  what  remained 
to  be  performed.  The  skin  being  taken  off,  we  found  the  fat  in  several 
places  six  inches  deep.  This  being  divided  into  two  parts,  loaded  two 


448  ALEXANDER  HENRY'S   CAPTIVITY. 

persons ;  and  the  flesh  parts  were  as  much  as  four  persons  could  carry ; 
In  all,  the  carcass  must  have  exceeded  five  hundred  weight. 

As  soon  as  we  reached  the  lodge,  the  bear's  head  was  adorned  with 
all  the  trinkets  in  the  possession  of  the  family,  such  as  silver  arm  bands 
and  wrist  bands,  and  belts  of  wampum,  and  then  laid  upon  a  scaffold, 
set  up  for  its  reception,  within  the  lodge.  Near  the  nose  was  placed  a 
large  quantity  of  tobacco. 

The  next  morning  no  sooner  appeared  than  preparations  were  made 
for  a  feast  to  the  manes.  The  lodge  was  cleaned  and  swept;  and  the 
head  of  the  bear  lifted  up,  and  a  new  stroud  blanket,  which  had  never 
been  used  before,  spread  under  it  The  pipes  were  now  lit ;  and  Wawa- 
tam  blew  tobacco  smoke  into  the  nostrils  of  the  bear,  telling  me  to  do 
the  same,  and  thus  appease  the  anger  of  the  bear,  on  account  of  my 
having  killed  her.  I  endeavored  to  persuade  my  benefactor  and  friendly 
adviser  that  she  no  longer  had  any  life,  and  assured  him  that  I  was 
under  no  apprehension  from  her  displeasure  ;  but  the  first  proposition 
obtained  no  credit,  and  the  second  gave  but  little  satisfaction. 

At  length,  the  feast  being  ready,  Wawatam  commenced  a  speech, 
resembling  in  many  things  his  address  to  the  manes  of  hisrelations  and 
departed  companions;  but  having  this  peculiarity,  that  he  here  deplored 
the  necessity  under  which  men  labored  thus  to  destroy  their  friends. 
He  represented,  however,  that  the  misfortune  was  unavoidable,  since 
without  doing  so  they  could  by  no  means  subsist  The  speech  ended, 
we  all  ate  heartily  of  the  bear's  flesh ;  and  even  the  head  itself,  after 
remaining  three  days  on  the  scaffold,  was  put  into  the  kettle. 

It  is  only  the  female  bear  that  makes  her  winter  lodging  in  the  upper 
parts  of  trees,  a  practice  by  which  the  young  are  secured  from  the 
attacks  of  wolves  and  other  animals.  She  brings  forth  in  the  winter 
season ;  and  remains  in  her  lodge  till  the  cubs  have  gained  some  strength. 

The  male  always  lodges  in  the  ground,  under  the  roots  of  trees.  He 
takes  to  this  habitation  as  soon  as  the  snow  falls,  and  remains  there  until 
it  has  disappeared.  The  Indians  remark  that  the  bear  comes  out  in  the 
spring  with  the  same  fat  which  he  carried  in  in  the  autumn,  but  after 
exercise  of  only  a  few  days  becomes  lean.  Excepting  for  a  short  part 
of  the  season,  the  male  lives  constantly  alone. 

The  fat  of  our  bear  was  melted  down,  and  the  oil  filled  six  porcupine 
skins.  A  part  of  the  meat  was  cut  into  strips  and  fire-dried,  after  which 
it  was  put  into  the  vessels  containing  the  oil,  where  it  remained  in  perfect 
preservation  until  the  middle  of  summer. 

February,  in  the  country  and  by  the  people  where  and  among  whom 
I  was,  Is  called  the  Moon  of  Hard  or  Crusted  Snow ;  for  now  the  snow 


ALEXANDER    HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY.  449 

can  bear  a  man,  or  at  least  dogs,  in  pursuit  of  animals  ot  the  chase.  At 
this  season,  the  stag  is  very  successfully  hunted,  his  feet  breaking  through 
at  every  step,  and  the  crust  upon  the  snow  cutting  his  legs  with  its  sharp 
edges  to  the  very  bone.  He  is  consequently,  in  this  distress,  an  easy 
prey ;  and  it  frequently  happened  that  we  killed  twelve  in  the  short  space 
of  two  hours.  By  this  means  we  were  soon  put  into  possession  of  four 
.thousand  weight  of  dried  venison,  which  was  to  be  carried  on  our  backs, 
along  with  all  the  rest  of  our  wealth,  for  seventy  miles,-  the  distance  of 
our  encampment  from  that  part  of  the  lake  shore  at  which  in  the  autumn 
we  left  our  canoes.  This  journey  it  was  our  next  business  to  perform. 

Our  venison  and  furs  and  peltries  were  to  be  disposed  of  at  Michili- 
mackinac,  and  it  was  now  the  season  for  carrying  them  to  market.  The 
women,  therefore,  prepared  our  loads  ;  and  the  morning  of  departure 
being  come,  we  set  off  at  daybreak,  and  continued  our  march  till  two 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Where  we  stopped,  we  erected  a  scaffold,  on 
which  we  deposited  the  bundles  we  had  brought,  and  returned  to  our 
encampment,  which  we  reached  in  the  evening.  Ii  the  morning,  we 
carried  fresh  loads,  which  being  deposited  with  the  rest,  we  returned  a 
second  time  in  the  evening.  This  we  repeated  till  all  was  forwarded 
one  stage.  Then,  removing  our  lodge  to  the  place  of  deposit,  we 
carried  our  goods,  with  the  same  patient  toil,  a  second  stage ;  and  so 
on,  till  we  were  at  no  great  distance  from  the  shores  of  the  lake. 

Arrived  here,  we  turned  our  attention  to  sugar  making,  the  manage 
ment  of  which,  as  I  have  before  related,  belongs  to  the  women,  the 
men  cutting  wood  for  the  fires,  and  hunting  and  fishing.  In  the  midst 
of  this,  we  were  joined  by  several  lodges  of  Indians,  most  of  whom 
were  of  the  family  to  which  I  belonged,  and  had  wintered  near  us. 
The  lands  belonged  to  this  family,  and  it  had,  therefore,  the  exclusive 
right  to  hunt  on  them.  This  is  according  to  the  custom  of  the  people ;  for 
each  family  has  its  own  lands.  I  was  treated  very  civilly  by  all  the  lodges. 

Our  society  had  been  a  short  time  enlarged  by  this  arrival  of  our 
friends,  when  an  accident  occurred  which  filled  the  whole  village  with 
anxiety  and  sorrow.  A  little  child,  belonging  to  one  of  our  neighbors, 
fell  into  a  kettle  of  boiling  syrup.  It  was  instantly  snatched  out,  but 
with  little  hope  of  its  recovery. 

So  long,  however,  as  it  lived,  a  continual  feast  was  observed  ;  and 
this  was  made  to  the  Great  Spirit  and  Master  of  Life,  that  he  might  be 
pleased  to  save  and  heal  the  child.  At  this  feast  I  was  a  constant 
guest;  and  often  found  difficulty  in  eating  the  large  quantity  of  food 
which,  on  such  occasions  as  these,  is  put  upon  each  man's  dish.  The 
Indians  accustom  themselves  both  to  eat  much  and  to  fast  much  with  facility. 

29 


450  ALEXANDER   HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY. 

Several  sacrifices  were  also  offered;  among  which  were  dogs,  killed 
and  hung  upon  the  tops  of  poles,  with  the  addition  of  stroud  blankets 
and  other  articles.  These  also  were  given  to  the  Great  Spirit,  in 
humble  hope  that  he  would  give  efficacy  to  the  medicines  employed. 

The  child  died.  To  preserve  the  body  from  the  wolves,  it  was  placed 
upon  a  scaffold,  where  it  remained  till  we  went  to  the  lake,  on  the 
border  of  which  was  the  burial  ground  of  the  family. 

On  our  arrival  there,  which  happened  in  the  beginning  of  April,  I  did 
not  fail  to  attend  the  funeral.  The  grave  was  made  of  a  large  size, 
and  the  whole  of  the  inside  lined  with  birch  bark.  On  the  bark  waa 
laid  the  body  of  the  child,  accompanied  with  an  axe,  a  pair  of  snow 
shoes,  a  small  kettle,  several  pairs  of  common  shoes,  its  own  strings  of 
beads,  and  because  it  was  a  girl,  a  carrying  belt  and  a  paddle.  The  kettle 
was  filled  with  meat. 

All  this  was  again  covered  with  bark ;  and  at  about  two  feet  nearer 
the  surface,  logs  were  laid  across,  and  these  again  covered  with  bark,  so 
that  the  earth  might  by  no  means  fall  upon  the  corpse. 

The  last  act  before  the  burial  performed  by  the  mother,  crying  over 
the  dead  body  of  her  child,  was  that  of  taking  from  it  a  lock  of  hair 
for  a  memorial.  While  she  did  this  I  endeavored  to  console  her,  by 
offering  the  usual  arguments :  that  the  child  was  happy  in  being  released 
from  the  miseries  of  this  present  life,  and  that  she  should  forbear  to 
grieve,  because  it  would  be  restored  to  her  in  another  world,  happy  and 
everlasting.  She  answered  that  she  knew  it,  and  that  by  thb  lock  of 
hair  she  should  discover  her  daughter,  for  she  would  take  it  with  her 
In  this  she  alluded  to  the  day  when  some  pious  hand  would  place  in  her 
own  grave,  along  with  the  carrying  belt  and  paddle,  this  little  relic, 
hallowed  by  maternal  tears. 

I  have  frequently  inquired  into  the  ideas  and  opinions  of  the  Indians 
in  regard  to  futurity,  and  always  found  that  they  were  somewhat  dif 
ferent  in  different  individuals. 

Some  suppose  their  souls  to  remain  in  this  world,  although  invisible 
to  human  eyes;  and  capable,  themselves,  of  seeing  and  hearing  their 
friends,  and  also  of  assisting  them,  in  moments  of  distress  and  danger. 
Others  dismiss  from  the  mortal  scene  the  unembodied  spirit,  and  send 
it  to  a  distant  world  or  country,  in  which  it  receives  reward  or  punish 
ment,  according  to  the  life  which  it  has  led  in  its  prior  state.  Those 
who  have  lived  virtuously,  are  transported  into  a  place  abounding  with 
every  luxury,  with  deer  and  all  other  animals  of  the  woods  and  water,  and 
where  the  earth  produces,  in  their  greatest  perfection,  all  its  sweetest 
fruits.  While,  on  the  other  hand,  those  who  have  violated  or  neglected 


ALEXANDER    HENRY'S     CAPTIVITY.  451 

the  duties  of  this  life,  are  removed  to  a  barren  soil,  where  they  wander 
up  and  down,  among  rocks  and  morasses,  and  are  stung  by  gnats  as 
large  as  pigeons. 

While  we  remained  on  the  border  of  the  lake,  a  watch  was  kept  every 
night,  in  the  apprehension  of  a  speedy  attack  from  the  English,  who 
were  expected  to  avenge  the  massacre  of  Michilimackinac.  The  imme 
diate  grounds  of  this  apprehension  were  the  constant  dreams,  to  this 
effect,  of  the  more  aged  women.  I  endeavored  to  persuade  them  that 
nothing  of  the  kind  would  take  place ;  but  their  fears  were  not  to  be 
subdued. 

Amid  these  alarms,  there  came  a  report  concerning  a  real,  though  less 
formidable  enemy  discovered  in  our  neighborhood.  This  was  a  panther, 
which  one  of  our  young  men  had  seen,  and  which  animal  sometimes 
attacks  and  carries  away  the  Indian  children.  Our  camp  was  immedi 
ately  on  the  alert,  and  we  set  off  into  the  woods,  about  twenty  in  num 
ber.  We  had  not  proceeded  more  than  a  mile  before  the  dogs  found 
the  panther,  and  pursued  him  to  a  tree,  on  which  he  was  shot  He  was 
of  a  large  size. 

On  the  twenty-fifth  of  April,  we  embarked  for  Michilimackinac.  At 
La  Grande  Traverse  we  met  a  large  party  of  Indians,  who  appeared  to 
labor,  like  ourselves,  under  considerable  alarm ;  and  who  dared  proceed 
no  further,  lest  they  should  be  destroyed  by  the  English.  Frequent 
councils  of  the  united  bands  were  held ;  and  interrogations  were  contin 
ually  put  to  myself  as  to  whether  or  not  I  knew  of  any  design  to  attack 
them.  I  found  that  they  believed  it  possible  for  me  to  have  a  fore 
knowledge  of  events,  and  to  be  informed  by  dreams  of  all  things  doing 
at  a  distance. 

Protestations  of  my  ignorance  were  received  with  but  little  satisfaction, 
and  incurred  the  suspicion  of  a  design  to  conceal  my  knowledge.  On 
this  account,  therefore,  or  because  I  saw  them  tormented  with  fears  which 
had  nothing  but  imagination  to  rest  upon,  I  told  them,  at  length,  that  I 
knew  there  was  no  enemy  to  insult  them ;  and  that  they  might  proceed 
to  Michilimackinac  without  danger  from  the  English.  I  further,  and 
with  more  confidence,  declared,  that  if  ever  my  countrymen  returned  to 
Michilimackinac  I  would  recommend  them  to  their  favor,  on  account  of 
the  good  treatment  which  I  had  received  from  them.  Thus  encouraged, 
they  embarked  at  an  early  hour  the  next  morning.  In  crossing  the  bay 
we  experienced  a  storm  of  thunder  and  lightning. 

Our  port  was  the  village  of  L'Arbre  Croche,  which  we  reached  in 
safety,  and  where  we  staid  till  the  following  day.  At  this  village  we 
found  several  persons  who  had  been  lately  at  Michilinackinac,  and  from 


452  ALEXANDER    HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY. 

them  we  had  the  satisfaction  of  learning  that  all  was  quiet  there.     The 
remainder  of  our  voyage  was  therefore  performed  with  confidence. 

In  the  evening  of  the  twenty -seventh"  we  landed  at  the  fort,  which  now 
contained  only  two  French  traders.  The  Indians  who  had  arrived  before 
us  were  very  few  in  number ;  and  by  all,  who  were  of  our  party,  I  was 
used  very  kindly.  I  had  the  entire  freedom  both  of  the  fort  and  camp. 

Wawatam  and  myself  settled  our  stock,  and  paid  our  debts ;  and  this 
done,  I  found  that  my  share  of  what  was  left  consisted  in  a  hundred 
beaver  skins,  sixty  raccoon  skins,  and  six  otter,  of  the  total  value  of  about 
one  hundred  and  sixty  dollars.  With  these  earnings  of  my  winter's  toil 
I  proposed  to  purchase  clothes,  of  which  I  was  much  in  need,  having 
been  six  months  without  a  shirt;  but,  on  inquiring  into  the  prices  of 
goods,  I  found  that  all  my  means  would  not  go  far.  I  was  able,  however, 
to  buy  two  shirts,  at  ten  pounds  of  beaver  each;  a  pair  of  leggins,  or 
pantaloons,  of  scarlet  cloth,  which,  with  the  ribbon  to  garning  them  fash 
ionably,  cost  me  fifteen  pounds  of  beaver;  a  blanket,  at  twenty  pounds 
of  beaver;  and  some  other  articles,  at  proportionable  rates.  In  this 
manner  my  wealth  was  soon  reduced ;  but  not  before  I  had  laid  in  a  good 
stock  of  ammunition  and  tobacco.  To  the  use  of  the  latter  I  had  become 
much  attached  during  the  winter.  It  was  my  principal  recreation  after 
returning  from  the  chase ;  for  my  companions  in  the  lodge  were  unaccus 
tomed  to  pass  the  time  in  conversation.  Among  the  Indians  the  topics  of 
conversation  are  but  few,  and  limited,  for  the  most  part,  to  the  trans 
actions  of  the  day,  the  number  of  animals  which  they  have  killed,  and  of 
those  which  have  escaped  their  pursuit,  and  other  incidents  of  the  chase. 
Indeed,  the  causes  of  taciturnity  among  the  Indians  may  be  easily  under 
stood,  if  we  consider  how  many  occasions  of  speech,  which  present  them 
selves  to  us,  are  utterly  unknown  to  them;  the  records  of  history,  the 
pursuits  of  science,  the  disquisitions  of  philosophy,  the  systems  of  politics, 
the  business  and  the  amusements  of  the  day,  and  the  transactions  of  the 
four  corners  of  the  world. 

Eight  days  had  passed  in  tranquillity,  when  there  arrived  a  band  of 
Indians  from  the  bay  of  Saguenaum.  They  had  assisted  at  the  siege  of 
Detroit,  and  came  to  muster  as  many  recruits  for  that  service  as  they 
could.  For  my  own  part,  I  was  soon  informed  that,  as  I  was  the  only 
Englishman  in  the  place,  they  proposed  to  kill  me,  in  order  to  give  their 
friends  a  mess  of  English  broth  to  raise  their  courage. 

This  intelligence  was  not  of  the  most  agreeable  kind  ;  and  in  conse 
quence  of  receiving  it,  I  requested  my  friend  to  carry  me  to  the  Sault  de 
Saint-Marie,  at  which  place  I  knew  the  Indians  to  be  peaceably  inclined, 
and  that  M.  Cadotte  enjoyed  a  powerful  influence  over  their  conduct 


453 

They  considered  M.  Cadotte  as  their  chief ;  and  he  was  not  only  my 
friend,  but  a  friend  to  the  English.  It  was  by  him  that  the  Chippeways 
of  Lake  Superior  were  prevented  from  joining  Pontiac. 

Wawatam  was  not  slow  to  exert  himself  for  my  preservation,  but,  leav 
ing  Michilimackinac  in  the  night,  transported  himself  and  all  his  lodge  to 
Point  Saint-Ignace,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  strait.  Here  we  remained 
till  daylight,  and  then  went  into  the  Bay  of  Boutchitaouy,  in  which  we 
spent  three  days  in  fishing  and  hunting,  and  where  we  found  plenty  of 
wild  fowl.  Leaving  the  bay,  we  made  for  the  Isle  aux  Outardes,  where 
we  were  obliged  to  put  in,  on  account  of  the  wind  coming  ahead.  We 
proposed  sailing  for  the  Sault  the  next  morning. 

But  when  the  morning  came,  Wawatam's  wife  complained  that  she  was 
sick,  adding  that  she  had  had  bad  dreams,  and  knew  that  if  we  went  to 
the  Sault  we  should  all  be  destroyed.  To  have  argued,  at  this  time, 
against  the  infallibility  of  dreams,  would  have  been  extremely  unadvisable, 
since  I  should  have  appeared  to  be  guilty,  not  only  of  an  odious  want  of 
faith,  but  also  of  a  still  more  odious  want  of  sensibility  to  the  possible 
calamities  of  a  family  which  had  done  so  much  for  the  alleviation  of  mine. 
I  was  silent,  but  the  disappointment  seemed  to  seal  my  fate.  No  pros 
pect  opened  to  console  me.  The  return  to  Michilimackinac  could  only 
insure  my  destruction  ;  and  to  remain  at  the  island  was  to  brave  almost 
equal  danger,  since  it  lay  in  the  direct  route  between  the  fort  and  the 
Missisaki,  along  which  the  Indians  from  Detroit  were  hourly  expected  to 
pass,  on  the  business  of  their  mission.  I  doubted  not  but,  taking  advan 
tage  of  the  solitary  situation  of  the  family,  they  would  carry  into  execution 
their  design  of  killing  me. 

Unable,  therefore,  to  take  any  part  in  the  direction  of  our  course,  but 
a  prey,  at  the  same  time,  to  the  most  anxious  thoughts  as  to  my  own  con 
dition,  I  passed  all  the  day  on  the  highest  part  to  which  I  could  climb,  of 
a  tall  tree,  from  whence  the  lake,  on  both  sides  of  the  island,  lay  open  to 
my  view.  Here  I  might  hope  to  learn,  at  the  earliest  possible,  the 
approach  of  canoes,  and  by  this  means  be  warned  in  time  to  conceal 
myself. 

On  the  second  morning  I  returned,  as  soon  as  it  was  light,  to  my 
watch  tower,  on  which  I  had  not  been  long  before  I  discovered  a  sail 
comino-  from  Michilimackinac. 

O 

The  sail  was  a  white  one,  and  much  larger  than  those  usually  em 
ployed  by  the  northern  Indians.  I  therefore  indulged  a  hope  that  it 
mio-ht  be  a  Canadian  canoe,  on  the  voyage  to  Montreal ;  and  that  I  might 
be  able  to  prevail  upon  the  crew  to  take  me  with  them,  and  thus  release 
me  from  all  my  troubles. 


454  ALEXANDER    HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY. 

My  hopes  continued  to  gain  ground  ;  for  I  soon  persuaded  myself 
that  the  manner  in  -which  the  paddles  were  used  on  board  the  canoe  was 
Canadian,  and  not  Indian.  My  spirits  were  elated  ;  but  disappointment 
had  become  so  usual  with  me,  that  I  could  not  suffer  myself  to  look  to 
the  event  with  any  strength  of  confidence. 

Enouo-h,  however,  appeared  at  length  to  demonstrate  itself  to  induce 
me  to  descend  the  tree,  and  repair  to  the  lodge,  with  my  tidings  and 
schemes  of  liberty.  The  family  congratulated  me  on  the  approach  of  so 
fair  an  opportunity  of  escape  ;  and  my  father  and  brother,  (for  he  was 
alternately  each  of  these)  lit  his  pipe,  and  presented  it  to  me,  saying, 
"  My  son,  this  may  be  the  last  time  that  ever  you  and  I  shall  smoke  out 
of  the  same  pipe  !  I  am  sorry  to  part  with  you.  You  know  the  affection 
which  I  have  always  borne  you,  and  the  dangers  to  which  I  have  exposed 
myself  and  family,  to  preserve  you  from  your  enemies  ;  and  I  am  happy 
to  find  that  my  efforts  promise  not  to  have  been  in  vain."  At  this  time 
a  boy  came  into  the  lodge,  informing  us  that  the  canoe  had  come  from 
Michilimackinac,  and  was  bound  to  the  Sault  de  Saint-Marie.  It  was 
manned  by  three  Canadians,  and  was  carrying  home  Madame  Cadotte, 
the  wife  of  M.  Cadotte,  already  mentioned. 

My  hopes  of  going  to  Montreal  being  now  dissipated,  I  resolved  on 
accompanying  Madame  Cadotte,  with  her  permission,  to  the  Sault.  On 
communicating  my  wishes  to  Madame  Cadotte,  she  cheerfully  acceded  to 
them.  Madame  Cadotte,  as  I  have  already  mentioned,  was  an  Indian 
woman  of  the  Chippeway  nation,  and  she  was  very  generally  re 
spected. 

My  departure  fixed  upon,  I  returned  to  the  lodge,  where  I  packed  up 
my  wardrobe,  consisting  of  my  two  shirts,  pair  of  leygins,  and  blanket 
Besides  these,  I  took  a  gun  and  ammunition,  presenting  what  remained 
further,  to  my  host  I  also  returned  the  silver  arm  bands  with  which  the 
family  had  decorated  me  the  year  before. 

We  now  exchanged  farewells  with  an  emotion  entirely  reciprocal.  I 
did  not  quit  the  lodge  without  the  most  grateful  sense  of  the  many  acts 
of  goodness  which  I  had  experienced  in  it,  nor  without  the  sincerest 
respect  for  the  virtues  which  I  had  witnessed  among  its  members.  All 
the  family  accompanied  me  to  the  beach  ;  and  the  canoe  had  no  sooner 
put  off  than  Wawatam  commenced  an  address  to  the  Kichi  Manito,  be 
seeching  him  to  take  care  of  me,  his  brother,  till  we  should  next  meet. 
This,  he  had  told  me,  would  not  be  long,  as  he  intended  to  return  to 
Michilimackinac  for  a  short  time  only,  and  would  then  follow  me  to  the 
Sault  We  had  proceeded  to  too  great  a  distance  to  allow  of  our  hearing 
his  voice,  before  Wawatam  had  ceased  to  offer  up  his  prayers. 


ALEXANDER   HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY.  455 

Being  now  no  longer  in  the  society  of  the  Indians,  I  put  aside  the. 
dress,  putting  on  that  of  a  Canadian  :  a  molton,  or  blanket  coat,  over  my 
shirt,  and  a  handkerchief  about  my  head,  hats  being  very  little  worn  in 
this  country. 

At  daybreak,  on  the  second  morning  of  our  voyage,  We  embarked,  and 
presently  perceived  several  canoes  behind  us.  As  they  approached,  we 
ascertained  them  to  be  the  fleet,  bound  for  the  Missisaki,  of  which  I  had 
been  so  long  in  dread.  It  amounted  to  twenty  sail. 

On  coming  up  with  us,  and  surrounding  our  canoe,  and  amid  general 
inquiries  concerning  the  news,  an  Indian  challenged  me  for  an  English 
man,  and  his  companions  supported  him  by  declaring  that  I  looked  very 
like  one  ;  but  I  affected  not  to  understand  any  of  the  questions  which 
they  asked  me,  and  Madame  Cadotte  assured  them  that  I  was  a  Ca 
nadian,  whom  she  had  brought  on  his  first  voyage  from  Montreal. 

The  following  day  saw  us  safely  landed  at  the  Sault,  where  I  experi 
enced  a  generous  welcome  from  M.  Cadotte.  There  were  thirty  warriors 
at  this  place,  restrained  from  joining  in  the  war  only  by  M.  Cadotte's 
influence. 

Here,  for  five  days,  I  was  once  more  in  possession  of  tranquillity  ;  but, 
on  the  sixth,  a  young  Indian  came  into  M.  Cadotte's,  saying  that  a  canoe 
full  of  warriors  had  just  arrived  from  Michilimackinac  ;  that  they  had 
inquired  for  me  ;  and  that  he  believed  their  intentions  to  be  bad.  Nearly 
at  the  same  time,  a  message  came  from  the  good  chief  of  the  village, 
desiring  me  to  conceal  myself  until  he  should  discover  the  views  and 
temper  of  the  strangers. 

A  garret  was  the  second  time  my  place  of  refuge  ;  and  it  was  not  long 
before  the  Indians  came  to  M.  Cadotte's.  My  friend  immediately  in 
formed  Mutchikiwish,  their  chief,  who  was  related  to  his  wife,  of  the 
design  imputed  to  them,  of  mischief  against  myself.  Mutchikiwish  frankly 
acknowledged  that  they  had  had  such  a  design  ;  but  added  that,  if  dis 
pleasing  to  M.  Cadotte,  it  should  be  abandoned.  He  then  further  stated, 
that  their  errand  was  to  raise  a  party  of  warriors  to  return  with  them  to 
Detroit  ;  and  that  it  had  been  their  intention  to  take  me  with  them. 

In  regard  to  the  principal  of  the  two  objects  thus  disclosed,  M.  Cadotte 
proceeded  to  assemble  all  the  chiefs  and  warriors  of  the  village  ;  and 
these,  after  deliberating  for  some  time  among  themselves,  sent  for  the 
strangers,  to  whom  both  M.  Cadotte  and  the  chief  of  the  village  addressed 
a  speech.  In  these  speeches,  after  recurring  to  the  designs  confessed  to 
have  been  entertained  against  nlyself,  who  was  now  declared  to  be  under 
the  protection  of  all  the  chiefs,  by  whom  any  insult  I  might  sustain  would 
be  avenged,  the  ambassadors  were  peremptorily  told  that  they  might  go 


456  ALEXANDER   HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY. 

back  as  they  came,  none  of  the  young  men  of  this  village  being  foolish 
enough  to  join  them. 

A  moment  after,  a  report  was  brought  that  a  canoe  had  just  arrived 
from  Niagara.  As  this  was  a  place  from  which  every  one  was  anxious  to 
hear  news,  a  message  was  sent  to  these  fresh  strangers,  requesting  them 
to  come  to  the  council 

The  strangers  came  accordingly,  and  being  seated,  a  long  silence  en 
sued.  At  length,  one  of  them,  taking  up  a  belt  of  wampum,  addressed 
himself  thus  to  the  assembly  :  "My  friends  and  brothers,  I  am  come, 
with  this  belt,  from  our  great  father,  Sir  William  Johnson.  He  desired 
me  to  come  to  you  as  his  ambassador,  and  tell  you  that  he  is  making  a 
great  feast  at  Fort  Niagara  ;  that  his  kettles  are  all  ready  and  his  fires 
lit  He  invites  you  to  partake  of  the  feast,  in  common  with  your  friends, 
the  Six  Nations,  who  have  all  made  peace  with  the  English.  He 
advises  you  to  seize  this  opportunity  of  doing  the  same,  as  you  cannot 
otherwise  fail  of  being  destroyed  ;  for  the  English  are  on  their  march  with 
a  great  army,  which  will  be  joined  by  different  nations  of  Indians.  In  a 
word,  before  the  fall  of  the  leaf,  they  will  be  at  Michilimackinac,  and  the 
Six  Nations  with  them." 

The  tenor  of  this  speech  greatly  alarmed  the  Indians  of  the  Sault, 
who,  after  a  very  short  consultation,  agreed  to  send  twenty  deputies  to 
Sir  William  Johnson,  at  Niagara.  This  was  a  project  highly  interesting 
to  me,  since  it  offered  me  the  means  of  leaving  the  country.  I  intimated 
this  to  the  chief  of  the  village,  and  received  his  promise  that  I  should 
accompany  the  deputation. 

Very  little  time  was  proposed  to  be  lost,  in  setting  forward  on  the 
voyage  ;  but  the  occasion  was  of  too  much  magnitude  not  to  call 
for  more  than  human  knowledge  and  discretion  ;  and  preparations  were 
accordingly  made  for  solemnly  invoking  and  consulting  the  Great  Turtle. 

For  invoking  and  consulting  the  Great  Turtle,  the  first  thing  to  be 
done  was  the  building  of  a  large  house  or  wigwam,  within  which  was 
placed  a  species  of  tent,  for  the  use  of  the  priest  and  reception  of  the 
spirit.  The  tent  was  formed  of  moose  skins,  hung  over  a  framework 
of  wood.  Five  poles,  or  rather  pillars,  of  five  different  species  of  timber, 
about  ten  feet  in  height,  and  eight  inches  in  diameter,  were  set  in  a 
circle  of  about  four  feet  in  diameter.  The  holes  made  to  receive  them 
were  about  two  feet  deep  ;  and  the  pillars  being  set,  the  holes  were 
filled  up  again,  with  the  earth  which  had  been  dug  out  At  top  the 
pillars  were  bound  together  by  a  circular  hoop,  or  girder.  Over  the 
whole  of  this  edifice  were  spread  the  moose  skins,  covering  it  at  top  and 
around  the  sides,  and  made  fast  with  thongs  of  the  same  ;  except  that  on 


ALEXANDER    HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY.  457 

one  side  a  part  was  left  unfastened,  to  admit  of  the  entrance  of  the 
priest. 

The  ceremonies  did  not  commence  but  with  the  approach  of  night 
To  give  light  within  the  house,  several  fires  were  kindled  round  the 
tent  Nearly  the  whole  village  assembled  in  the  house,  and  myself 
among  the  rest  It  was  not  long  before  the  priest  appeared,  almost  in 
a  state  of  nakedness.  As  he  approached  the  tent  the  skins  were  lifted 
up,  as  much  as  was  necessary  to  allow  of  his  creeping  under  them  on 
his  hands  and  knees.  His  head  was  scarcely  withinside,  when  the  edifice, 
massy  as  it  has  been  described,  began  to  shake ;  and  the  skins  were  no 
sooner  let  fall,  than  the  sounds  of  numerous  voices  were  heard  beneath 
them,  some  yelling,  some  barking  as  dogs,  some  howling  like  wolves,  and 
in  this  horrible  concert  were  mingled  screams  and  sobs,  as  of  despair, 
anguish,  and  the  sharpest  pain.  Articulate  speech  was  also  uttered,  as 
if  from  human  lips,  but  in  a  tongue  unknown  to  any  of  the  audience. 

After  some  time,  these  confused  and  frightful  noises  were  succeeded 
by  a  perfect  silence;  and  now  a  voice,  not  heard  before,  seemed  to 
manifest  the  arrival  of  a  new  character  in  the  tent  This  was  a  low 
and  feeble  voice,  resembling  the  cry  of  a  young  puppy.  The  sound 
was  no  sooner  distinguished,  than  all  the  Indians  clapped  their  hands 
for  joy,  exclaiming,  that  this  was  the  Chief  Spirit,  the  Turtle,  the  spirit 
that  never  lied !  Other  voices,  which  they  had  discriminated  from  time 
to  time,  they  had  previously  hissed,  as  recognizing  them  to  belong  to 
evil  and  lying  spirits,  which  deceive  mankind. 

New  sounds  came  from  the  tent.  During  the  space  of  half  an  hour, 
a  succession  of  songs  were  heard,  in  which  a  diversity  of  voices  met  the 
ear.  Jf'rom  his  first  entrance,  till  these  songs  were  finished,  we  heard 
nothing  in  the  proper  voice  of  the  priest;  but  now,  he  addressed  the 
multitude,  declaring  the  presence  of  the  Great  Turtle,  and  the  spirit's 
readiness  to  answer  such  questions  as  should  be  proposed. 

The  questions  were  to  come  from  the  chief  of  the  village,  who  was 
silent,  however,  till  after  he  had  put  a  large  quantity  of  tobacco  into 
the  tent,  introducing  it  at  the  aperture.  This  was  a  sacrifice  offered  to 
the  spirit ;  for  spirits  are  supposed  by  the  Indians  to  be  as  fond  of  tobacco 
as  themselves.  The  tobacco  accepted,  he  desired  the  priest  to  inquire 
whether  or  not  the  English  were  preparing  to  make  war  upon  the 
Indians ;  and  whether  or  not  there  were  at  fort  Niagara  a  large  number 
of  English  troops. 

These  questions  having  been  put  by  the  priest,  the  tent  instantly 
shook ;  and  for  some  seconds  after  it  continued  to  rock  so  violently  that 
I  expected  to  see  it  leveled  with  the  ground.  All  this  was  a  prelude, 


458  ALEXANDER   IIENRY*8    CAPTIVITY. 

as  I  supposed,  to  the  answers  to  be  given ;  but  a  terrific  cry  announced, 
with  sufficient  intelligibility,  the  departure  of  the  Turtle. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  elapsed  in  silence,  and  I  waited  impatiently  to 
discover  what  was  to  be  the  next  incident  in  this  scene  of  imposture.  It 
consisted  in  the  return  of  the  spirit,  whose  voice  was  again  heard,  and 
who  now  delivered  a  continued  speech.  The  language  of  the  Great 
Turtle,  like  that  which  we  had  heard  before,  was  wholly  unintelligible 
to  every  ear,  that  of  his  priest  excepted ;  and  it  was,  therefore,  not  till 
the  latter  gave  us  an  interpretation,  which  did  not  commence  before  the 
spirit  had  finished,  that  we  learned  the  purport  of  this  extraordinary 
communication. 

The  spirit,  as  we  were  now  informed  by  the  priest,  had,  during  his 
short  absence,  crossed  lake  Huron,  and  even  proceeded  as  far  as  fort 
Niagara,  which  is  at  the  head  of  lake  Ontario,  and  thence  to  Montreal. 
At  fort  Niagara,  he  had  seen  no  great  number  of  soldiers;  but  on 
descending  the  St.  Lawrence,  as  low  as  Montreal,  he  had  found  the 
river  covered  with  boats,  and  the  boats  filled  with  soldiers,  in  number 
like  the  leaves  of  the  trees.  He  had  met  them  on  their  way  up  the 
river,  coming  to  make  war  upon  the  Indians. 

The  chief  had  a  third  question  to  propose,  and  the  spirit,  without  a 
fresh  journey  to  fort  Niagara,  was  able  to  give  an  instant  and  most 
favorable  answer.  "If,"  said  the  chief,  "the  Indians  visit  Sir  William 
Johnson,  will  they  be  received  as  friends  ? " 

"Sir  William  Johnson,"  said  the  spirit,  (and  after  the  spirit  the  priest,) 
"  Sir  William  Johnson  will  fill  their  canoes  with  presents,  with  blankets, 
kettles,  guns,  gunpowder  and  shot,  and  large  barrels  of  rum,  such  as 
the  stoutest  of  the  Indians  will  not  be  able  to  lift ;  and  every  man  will 
return  in  safety  to  his  family." 

At  this,  the  transport  was  universal ;  and,  amid  the  clapping  of  hands, 
a  hundred  voices  exclaimed,  "  I  will  go,  too !  I  will  go,  too ! " 

The  questions  of  public  interest  being  resolved,  individuals  were  now 
permitted  to  seize  the  opportunity  of  inquiring  into  the  condition  of  their 
absent  friends,  and  the  fate  of  such  as  were  sick.  I  observed  that  the 
answers,  given  to  these  questions,  allowed  of  much  latitude  of  inter 
pretation. 

Amid  this  general  inquisitiveness,  I  yielded  to  the  solicitations  of  my 
own  anxiety  for  the  future;  and  having  first,  like  the  rest,  made  my 
offering  of  tobacco,  I  inquired  whether  or  not  I  should  ever  revisit  my 
native  country.  The  question  being  put  by  the  priest,  the  tent  shook 
as  usual;  after  which  I  received  this  answer:  "That  I  should  take 
courage,  and  fear  no  danger,  for  that  nothing  would  happen  to  hurt  me ; 


ALEXANDER  HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY.  459 

and  that  I  should,  in  the  end,  reach  my  friends  and  country  in  safety." 
These  assurances  wrought  so  strongly  on  my  gratitude,  that  I  presented 
an  additional  and  extra  offering  of  tobacco. 

The  Great  Turtle  continued  to  be  consulted  till  near  midnight,  when 
all  the  crowd  dispersed  to  their  respective  lodges.  I  was  on  the  watch, 
through  the  scene  I  have  described,  to  detect  the  particular  contrivances 
by  which  the  fraud  was  carried  on ;  but  such  was  the  skill  displayed  in 
the  performance,  or^  such  my  deficiency  of  penetration,  that  I  made  no 
discoveries,  but  came  away  as  I  went,  with  no  more  than  those  general 
surmises  which  will  naturally  be  entertained  by  every  reader. 

On  the  10th  of  June,  I  embarked  with  the  Indian  deputation,  com 
posed  of  sixteen  men.  Twenty  had  been  the  number  originally  designed ; 
and  upward  of  fifty  actually  engaged  themselves  to  the  council  for  the 
undertaking ;  to  say  nothing  of  the  general  enthusiasm,  at  the  moment 
of  hearing  the  Great  Turtle's  promises.  But  exclusively  of  the  degree 
of  timidity  which  still  prevailed,  we  are  to  take  into  account  the  various 
domestic  calls,  which  might  supersede  all  others,  and  detain  many  with 
their  families. 

In  the  evening  of  the  second  day  of  our  voyage,  we  reached  the 
mouth  of  the  Missisaki,  where  we  found  about  forty  Indians,  by  whom 
we  were  received  with  abundant  kindness,  and  at  night  regaled  at  a 
great  feast,  held  on  account  of  our  arrival.  The  viand  was  a  preparation 
of  the  roe  of  the  sturgeon,  beat  up,  and  boiled,  and  of  the  consistence 
of  porridge. 

After  eating,  several  speeches  were  made  to  us,  of  which  the  general 
topic  was  a  request  that  we  should  recommend  the  village  to  Sir  William 
Johnson.  This  request  was  also  specially  addressed  to  me,  and  I  pro 
mised  to  comply  with  it 

On  the  14th  of  June,  we  passed  the  village  of  La  Cloche,  of  which 
the  greater  part  of  the  inhabitants  were  absent,  being  already  on  a  visit 
to  Sir  William  Johnson.  This  circumstance  greatly  encouraged  the 
companions  of  my  voyage,  who  now  saw  that  they  were  not  the  first  to 
run  into  danger. 

The  next  day,  about  noon,  the  wind  blowing  very  hard,  we  were 
obliged  to  put  ashore  at  Point  aux  Grondines,  a  place  of  which  some 
description  has  been  given  before.  While  the  Indians  erected  a  hut,  I 
employed  myself  in  making  a  fire.  As  I  was  gathering  wood,  an 
unusual  sound  fixed  my  attention  for  a  moment;  but,  as  it  presently 
ceased,  and  as  I  saw  nothing  from  which  I  could  suppose  it  to  proceed, 
I  continued  my  employment,  till,  advancing  further,  I  was  alarmed  by 
a  repetition.  I  imagined  that  it  came  from  above  my  head ;  but  after 


460 


ALEXANDER   HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY. 


looking  that  way  in  vain,  I  cast  my  eyes  on  the  ground,  and  there 
discovered  a  rattlesnake,  at  not  more  than  two  feet  from  my  naked  legs. 
The  reptile  was  coiled,  and  its  head  raised  considerably  above  its  body. 
Had  I  advanced  another  step  before  my  discovery,  I  must  have  trodden 
upon  it 

I  no  sooner  saw  the  snake  than  I  hastened  to  the  canoe,  in  order  to 
procure  my  gun;  but  the  Indians,  observing  what  I  was  doing,  inquired 
the  occasion,  and  being  informed,  begged  me  to  desist.  At  the  same 
time  they  followed  me  to  the  spot,  with  their  pipes  and  tobacco  pouches 
in  their  hands.  On  returning,  I  found  the  snake  still  coiled. 

The  Indians,  on  their  part,  surrounded  it,  all  addressing  it  by  turns, 
and  calling  it  their  grandfather;  but  yet  keeping  at  some  distance.  Du 
ring  this  part  of  the  ceremony  they  filled  their  pipes;  and  now  each 
blew  the  smoke  toward  the  snake,  who,  as  it  appeared  to  me,  really 
received  it  with  pleasure.  In  a  word,  after  remaining  coiled,  and  re 
ceiving  insence,  for  the  space  of  half  an  hour,  it  stretched  itself  along 
the  ground  in  visible  good  humor.  Its  length  was  between  four  and 
five  feet.  Having  remained  outstretched  for  some  time,  at  last  it  moved 
slowly  away,  the  Indians  following  it,  and  still  addressing  it  by  the  title 
of  grandfather,  beseeching  it  to  take  care  of  their  families  during  their 
absence,  and  to  be  pleased  to  open  the  heart  of  Sir  William  Johnson, 
so  that  he  might  show  them  charity,  and  fill  their  canoes  with  rum. 

One  of  the  chiefs  added  a  petition  that  the  snake  would  take  no  notice 
of  the  insult  which  had  been  offered  him  by  the  Englishman,  who  would 
even  have  put  him  to  death  but  for  the  interference  of  the  Indians, 
to  whom  it  was  hoped  he  would  impute  no  part  of  the  offense.  They 
further  requested  that  he  would  remain  and  inhabit  their  country,  and 
not  return  among  the  English,  that  is,  go  eastward. 

After  the  rattlesnake  was  gone,  I  learned  that  this  was  the  first  time 
that  an  individual  of  the  species  had  been  seen  so  far  to  the  northward 
and  westward  of  the  river  Des  Francais ;  a  circumstance,  moreover,  from 
which  my  companions  were  disposed  to  infer  that  this  manito  had  come 
or  been  sent  on  purpose  to  meet  them ;  that  his  errand  had  been  no 
other  than  to  stop  them  on  their  way ;  and  that  consequently  it  would  be 
most  advisable  to  return  to  the  point  of  departure.  I  was  so  fortunate, 
however,  as  to  prevail  with  them  to  embark ;  and  at  six  o'clock  in  the 
evening  we  again  encamped.  Very  little  was  spoken  of  through  the 
evening,  the  rattlesnake  excepted. 

Early  the  next  morning  we  proceeded.  We  had  a  serene  sky  and 
very  little  wind,  and  the  Indians  therefore  determined  on  steering  across 
the  lake  to  an  island  which  just  appeared  in  the  horizon;  saving,  by 


ALEXANDER  HENRY'S  CAPTIVITY.  461 

this  course,  a  distance  of  thirty  miles,  which  would  be  lost  in  keeping  the 
shore.  At  nine  o'clock,  A.  M.,  we  had  a  light  breeze  astern,  to  enjoy 
the  benefit  of  which  we  hoisted  sail.  Soon  after  the  wind  increased,  and 
the  Indians,  beginning  to  be  alarmed,  frequently  called  on  the  rattle 
snake  to  come  to  their  assistance.  By  degrees  the  waves  grew  high; 
and  at  eleven  o'clock  it  blew  a  hurricane,  and  we  expected  every  moment 
to  be  swallowed  up.  From  prayers  the  Indians  now  proceeded  to  sacri 
fices,  both  alike  offered  to  the  god  rattlesnake,  or  manito  kinibic.  One 
of  the  chiefs  took  a  dog,  and  after  tying  its  fore  legs  together,  threw  it 
overboard,  at  the  same  time  calling  on  the  snake  to  preserve  us  from 
being  drowned,  and  desiring  him  to  satisfy  his  hunger  with  the  carcass 
of  the  dog.  The  snake  was  unpropitious,  and  the  wind  increased. 
Another  chief  sacrificed  another  dog,  with  the  addition  of  some  tobacco. 
In  the  prayer  which  accompanied  these  gifts,  he  besought  the  snake,  as 
before,  not  to  avenge  upon  the  Indians  the  insult  which  he  had  received 
from  myself,  in  the  conception  of  a  design  to  put  him  to  death.  He 
assured  the  snake  that  I  was  absolutely  an  Englishman,  and  of  kin 
neither  to  him  nor  to  them. 

At  the  conclusion  of  this  speech,  an  Indian  who  sat  near  me  observed, 
that  if  we  were  drowned  it  would  be  for  my  fault  alone,  and  that  I  ought 
myself  to  be  sacrificed,  to  appease  the  angry  manito ;  nor  was  I  without 
apprehensions  that  in  case  of  extremity  this  would  be  my  fate ;  but  happily 
for  me,  the  storm  at  length  abated,  and  we  reached  the  island  safely. 

The  next  day  was  calm,  and  we  arrived  at  the  entrance  of  the  navi 
gation  which  leads  to  lake  Aux  Claies.  (This  lake  is  now  called  lake 
Simcoe.)  We  presently  passed  two  short  carrying-places,  at  each  of 
which  were  several  lodges  of  Indians,  (these  Indians  are  Chippeways,  of 
the  particular  description  called  Missisakies;  and  from  their  residence 
at  Matchedash,  or  Matchitashk,  also  called  Matchedash  or  Matchitashk 
Indians,)  containing  only  women  and  children,  the  men  being  gone  to 
the  council  at  Niagara.  From  this,  as  from  a  former  instance,  my 
companions  derived  new  courage. 

On  the  18th  of  June,  we  crossed  lake  Aux  Claies,  which  appeared  to 
be  upwards  of  twenty  miles  in  length.  At  its  further  end  we  came  to 
the  carrying-place  of  Toronto.  Here  the  Indians  obliged  me  to  carry  a 
burden  of  more  than  a  hundred  pounds  weight.  The  day  was  very 
hot,  and  the  woods  and  marshes  abounded  with  musquitoes ;  but  the 
Indians  walked  at  a  quick  pace,  and  I  could  by  no  means  see  myself 
left  behind.  The  whole  country  was  a  thick  forest,  through  which  our 
only  road  was  a  foot-path,  or  such  as,  in  America,  is  exclusively  termed 
an  Indian  path. 


462  ALEXANDER   HENRY'S    CAPTIVITY. 

Next  morning  at  ten  o'clock,  we  reached  the  shore  of  lake  Ontario 
Here  we  were  employed  two  days  in  making  canoes  out  of  the  bark 
of  the  elm  tree,  in  which  we  were  to  transport  ourselves  to  Niagara. 
For  this  purpose  the  Indians  first  cut  down  a  tree ;  then  stripped  off 
the  bark  in  one  entire  sheet  of  about  eighteen  feet  in  length,  the  incision 
being  lengthwise.  The  canoe  was  now  complete  as  to  its  top,  bottom, 
and  sides.  Its  ends  were  next  closed  by  sewing  the  bark  together ;  and 
a  few  ribs  and  bars  being  introduced,  the  architecture  was  finished.  In 
this  manner  we  made  two  canoes,  of  which  one  carried  eight  men  and 
the  other  nine. 

On  the  21st,  we  embarked  at  Toronto,  and  encamped  in  the  even 
ing  four  miles  short  of  fort  Niagara,  which  the  Indians  would  not 
approach  till  morning. 

At  dawn,  the  Indians  were  awake,  and  presently  assembled  in  council, 
still  doubtful  as  to  the  fate  they  were  to  encounter.  I  assured  them  of 
the  most  friendly  welcome;  and  at  length,  after  painting  themselves 
with  the  most  lively  colors,  in  token  of  their  own  peaceable  views,  and 
after  singing  the  song  which  is  in  use  among  them  on  going  into  danger, 
they  embarked,  and  made  for  point  Missisaki,  which  is  on  the  north  side 
of  the  mouth  of  the  river  or  strait  of  Niagara,  as  the  fort  is  on  the  south- 
A  few  minutes  after  I  crossed  over  to  the  fort ;  and  here  I  was  received 
by  Sir  William  Johnson,  in  a  manner  for  which  I  have  ever  been  grate 
fully  attached  to  his  person  and  memory. 

Thus  was  completed  my  escape  from  the  sufferings  and  dangers  which 
the  capture  of  fort  Michilimackinac  brought  upon  me;  but  the  property 
which  I  had  carried  into  the  upper  country  was  left  behind.  The  reader 
will  therefore  be  far  from  attributing  to  me  any  idle  or  unaccountable 
motive,  when  he  finds  me  returning  to  the  scene  of  my  misfortunes. 


NARRATIVE    OF   THE    CAPTIVITY 

09 

FRANCES  NOBLE. 


JAMES  WHIDDEN,  the  maternal  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Shute,  was  a  cap 
tain  in  the  army  at  the  taking  of  Cape  Breton  in  1*745.  He  owned  a 
tract  of  land  on  Swan  Island,  in  the  river  Kennebec,  where  he  lived  with 
his  family.  One  of  his  daughters  married  Lazarus  Noble,  of  Portsmouth, 
who  lived  on  the  island  with  her  father.  The  Indians  had  been  accus 
tomed  to  visit  Capt.  Whidden  for  the  purposes  of  trade.  There  was  a 
garrison  on  the  island  to  secure  the  inabitants  from  the  attacks  of  the 
enemy  in  time  of  war. 

One  morning,  about  the  year  1755,  a  little  after  daybreak,  two  boys 
went  out  of  the  garrison  and  left  the  gate  open.  The  Indians  were  on 
the  watch,  and,  availing  themselves  of  the  opportunity,  about  ninety 
entered  the  garrison.  The  inhabitants  immediately  discovered  that  the 
enemy  was  upon  them;  but  there  was  no  escape.  Captain  Whidden  and 
his  wife  retreated  to  the  cellar,  and  concealed  themselves.  Noble  and 
his  hired  man  met  the  Indians  at  the  head  of  the  stairs,  and  fired  upon 
them,  wounding  one  of  them  in  the  arm.  The  Indians  did  not  return 
the  fire,  but  took  Noble,  his  wife  and  seven  children,  with  Timothy 
Whidden  and  Mary  Holmes,  prisoners.  The  hired  man  and  two  boys 
escaped.  The  captives  were  carried  to  the  water's  side  and  bound; 
excepting  such  as  could  not  run  away.  The  Indians  then  returned  to 
the  garrison,  burnt  the  barn  and  plundered  the  house,  cut  open  the 
feather  beds,  strewed  the  feathers  in  the  field,  and  carried  off  all  the 
silver  and  gold  they  could  find,  and  as  much  of  the  provisions  as  they 
chose.  It  was  supposed  they  omitted  to  burn  the  house  from  the  suspi 
cion  that  the  captain  and  his  wife,  from  whom  they  had,  in  times  of  peace, 
received  many  favors,  were  concealed  in  it.  Captain  Whidden,  after 
the  destruction  of  his  property  on  the  island  returned  to  Greenland,  in 
this  state,  which  is  supposed  to  have  been  his  native  place,  and  there 
died. 


464  CAPTIVITY    OF    FRANCES    NOBLE. 

The  Indians  also  took,  in  a  wood  on  the  island,  an  old  man  by  the 
name  of  Pomeroy,  who  was  employed  in  making  shingles.  Having 
collected  their  captives  and  plunder,  they  immediately  left  the  island, 
and  commenced  their  return  to  Canada  to  dispose  of  their  prey.  Pome- 
roy  was  old  and  feeble,  and  unable  to  endure  the  fatigue  of  the  march, 
without  more  assistance  than  the  savages  thought  fit  to  render  him,  and 
they  killed  him  on  the  journey.  They  were  more  attentive  to  the  chil 
dren,  as  for  them  they  undoubtedly  expected  a  higher  price  or  a  greater 
ransom.  Abigail,  one  of  the  children,  died  among  the  Indians.  The 
other  captives  arrived  safe  in  Canada,  and  were  variously  disposed  of. 
Mr.  Noble  was  sold  to  a  baker  in  Quebec,  and  his  wife  to  a  lady  of  the 
same  place  as  a  chambermaid.  They  were  allowed  to  visit  each  other 
and  to  sleep  together.  Four  of  the  children  were  also  sold  in  Quebec, 
as  were  Timothy  Whidden  and  Mary  Holmes.  The  captives  in  that  city 
were  exchanged  within  a  year,  and  returned  to  their  homes.  Mr.  Whid 
den  and  Miss  Holmes  were  afterward  united  in  marriage. 

Fanny  Noble,  the  principal  subject  of  this  memoir,  at  the  time  of  her 
captivity,  was  about  thirteen  months  old.     She  was  carried  by  a  party 
of  Indians  to  Montreal.     In  their  attempts  to  dispose  of  her,  they  took 
her  one    day  to   the  house  of   Monsieur  Louis  St.  Auge  Charlee,  an 
eminent  merchant  of  that  place,  who  was  at  that  time  on  a  journey  to 
Quebec.     His  lady  was  called  into  the  kitchen  by  one  of  her  maids 
to  see  a  poor  infant  crawling  on  the  tile  floor  in  dirt  and  rags,  picking 
apple  peelings  out  of  the  cracks.     She  came  in,  and  on  kindly  noticing 
the  child,  Fanny  immediately  caught  hold  of  the  lady's  gown,  wrapped 
it  over  her  head,  and  burst  into  tears.     The  lady  could  not  easily  resist 
this  appeal  to  her  compassion.     She  took  up  the  child,  who  clung  about 
her  neck  and  repeatedly  embraced  her.     The  Indians  offered  to  sell  her 
their  little  captive,  but  she  declined  buying,  not  choosing  probably  in 
the  absence  of  her  husband  to  venture  on  such  a  purchase.     The  Indians 
left  the  house,  and  slept  that  night  on  the  pavements  before  the  door. 
Fanny,  who  had  again  heard  the  voice  of  kindness,  to  which  she  had 
not  been  accustomed  from  her  savage  masters,  could  not  be  quiet,  but 
disturbed  the  slumbers  and  touched  the  heart  of  the  French  lady  by 
her  incessant  cries.      This  lady  had  then  lately  lost  a  child  by  death, 
and  was  perhaps  more  quick  to  feel  for  the  sufferings  of  children,  and 
more  disposed  to  love  them,  than  she  would  otherwise  have  been.     Early 
the  next  morning  the  Indians  were  called  into  the  house;  Fanny  was 
purchased,  put  into  a  tub  of  water,  and  having  been  thoroughly  washed, 
was  dressed  in  the  clothes  of  the  deceased  child,  and  put  to  bed.      She 
awoke  smiling,  and  seemed  desirous  of  repaying  her  mistress'  kindness 


CAPTIVITY    OF    FRANCES    NOBLE.  465 

by  her  infantile  prattle  and  fond  caresses.  Fanny  could  never  learn  for 
what  price  she  was  bought  of  the  Indians,  as  her  French  mother  de 
clined  answering  her  questions  upon  that  subject,  telling  her  to  be  a  good 
girl,  and  be  thankful  that  she  was  not  still  in  their  power. 

M.  and  Madam  St.  Auge  took  a  lively  interest  in  their  little  captive, 
and  treated  her  with  much  tenderness  and  affection.  She  felt  for  them 
a  filial  attachment  When  her  parents  were  exchanged,  her  mother, 
on  her  return  home,  called  upon  Fanny,  and  took  the  child  in  her  arms, 
but  no  instinct  taught  her  to  rejoice  in  the  maternal  embrace,  and  she 
fled  for  protection  to  her  French  mamma.  Mrs.  Noble  received  many 
presents  from  the  French  lady,  and  had  the  satisfaction  to  see  that  her 
daughter  was  left  in  affectionate  hands. 

Fanny  was  taught  to  call  and  consider  M.  and  Madam  St.  Auge  as 
her  parents.  They  had  her  baptized  by  the  name  of  Eleanor,  arm 
educated  her  in  the  Roman  Catholic  religion.  She  learned  her  Pater 
Nosters  and  Ave  Marias,  went  to  mass,  crossed  herself  with  holy  water, 
and  told  her  beads  with  great  devotion. 

When  four  or  five  years  old,  she  was  enticed  away  from  her  French 
parents  by  Wheelwright,  who  had  been  employed  by  the  government 
of  Massachusetts  to  seek  for  captives  in  Canada.  He  carried  her  to  the 
Three  Rivers,  where  he  had  several  other  captives,  and  left  her,  as  he 
pretended,  with  a  relation  of  her  French  father  for  a  few  days,  when  she 
expected  to  return  to  Montreal.  But  she  had  not  been  to  the  Three 
Rivers  more  than  twenty-four  hours,  when  the  old  squaw  who  had  sold 
her  to  Madam  St.  Auge  came  along  in  a  sleigh,  accompanied  by  a  young 
sanop,  seized  upon  Fanny,  and  carried  her  to  St  Francois,  where  they 
kept  her  about  a  fortnight.  She  had  now  attained  an  age  when  she 
would  be  sensible  of  her  misfortunes,  and  bitterly  lamented  her  sep 
aration  from  her  French  parents.  The  Indians  endeavored  to  pacify 
and  please  her  by  drawing  on  her  coat  or  frock  the  figures  of  deer, 
wolves,  bears,  fishes,  <fcc. ;  and  once,  probably  to  make  her  look  as  hand 
somely  as  themselves,  they  painted  her  cheeks  in  the  Indian  fashion, 
which  very  much  distressed  her,  and  the  old  squaw  made  them  wipe 
off  the  paint.  At  one  time  she  got  away  from  the  savages,  and  sought 
refuge  in  the  best  looking  house  in  the  village,  which  belonged  to  a 
French  priest,  who  kissed  her,  asked  her  many  questions,  and  treated 
her  kindly,  but  gave  her  up  to  the  claim  of  her  Indian  masters.  While 
at  St.  Francois,  her  brother,  Joseph  Noble,  who  had  not  been  sold  to  the 
French,  but  still  lived  with  the  Indians,  came  to  see  her,  but  she  had  a 
great  aversion  to  him.  He  was  in  his  Indian  dress,  and  she  would  not 
believe  him  to  be  a  relation,  or  speak  to  him  if  she  could  avoid  it.  She 

30 


466  CAPTIVITY    OF    FRANCES    NOBLE. 

was  at  last  turned  back  by  the  Indians  to  Montreal,  and  to  her  great 
satisfaction  was  delivered  to  her  French  father,  who  rewarded  the  In 
dians  for  returning  her.  It  was  doubtless  the  expectation  of  much 
reward  which  induced  the  old  squaw  to  seize  her  at  the  Three  Rivers, 
as  the  Indians  not  unfrequently  stole  back  captives,  in  order  to  extort 
presents  for  their  return  from  the  French  gentlemen  to  whom  the  same 
captives  had  before  been  sold.  Before  this  time  she  had  been  hastily 
carried  from  Montreal,  hurried  over  mountains  and  across  waters,  and 
concealed  among  flags,  while  those  who  accompanied  her  were  evidently 
pursued,  and  in  great  apprehension  of  being  overtaken;  but  the  occasion 
of  this  flight  or  its  incidents  she  was  too  young  to  understand  or  distinctly 
to  remember,  and  she  was  unable  afterward  to  satisfy  herself  whether 
her  French  father  conveyed  her  away  to  keep  her  out  of  the  reach 
of  her  natural  friends,  or  whether  she  was  taken  by  those  friends,  and 
afterward  retaken,  as  at  the  Three  Rivers,  and  returned  to  Montreal. 
The  French  parents  cautiously  avoided  informing  her  upon  this  subject, 
or  upon  any  other  which  should  remind  her  of  her  captivity,  her  country, 
her  parents,  or  her  friends,  lest  she  should  become  discontented  with  her 
situation,  and  desirous  of  leaving  those  who  had  adopted  her.  They  kept 
her  secreted  from  her  natural  friends,  who  were  in  search  of  her,  and 
evaded  every  question  which  might  lead  to  her  discovery.  One  day, 
when  M.  St.  Auge  and  most  of  his  family  were  at  mass,  she  was  sent 
with  another  captive  to  the  third  story  of  the  house,  and  the  domestics 
were  required  strictly  to  watch  them,  as  it  was  known  that  some  of  her 
relations  were  then  in  the  place  endeavoring  to  find  her.  Of  this  cir 
cumstance  she  was  then  ignorant,  but  she  was  displeased  with  her 
confinement,  and  with  her  little  companion  found  means  to  escape  from 
their  room  and  went  below.  While  raising  a  cup  of  water  to  her  mouth, 
she  saw  a  man  looking  at  her  through  the  window,  and  stretching  out 
his  arm  toward  her,  at  the  same  time  speaking  a  language  which  she 
could  not  understand.  She  was  very  much  alarmed,  threw  down  her 
water,  and  ran  with  all  possible  speed  to  her  room.  Little  did  she 
suppose  that  it  was  her  own  father,  from  whom  she  was  flying  in  such 
fear  and  horror.  He  had  returned  to  Canada  to  seek  those  of  his  chil 
dren  who  remained  there.  He  could  hear  nothing  of  his  Fanny ;  but 
watching  the  house,  he  perceived  her,  as  was  just  stated,  and  joyfully 
stretching  his  arms  toward  her,  exclaimed,  "  There  's  my  daughter !  0 ! 
that 's  my  daughter ! "  But  she  retreated,  and  he  could  not  gain  ad 
mittance,  for  the  house  was  guarded  and  no  stranger  permitted  to  enter. 
How  long  he  continued  hovering  about  her  is  unknown,  but  he  left 
Canada  without  embracing  her  or  seeing  her  again. 


CAPTIVITY   OP   FRANCES   NOBLE. 


467 


Her  French  parents  put  her  to  a  boarding  school  attached  to  a  nun 
nery  in  Montreal,  where  she  remained  several  years,  and  was  taught  all 
branches  of  needle-work,  with  geography,  music,  painting,  <fcc.  In  the 
same  school  were  two  Misses  Johnsons,  who  were  captured  at  Charlestown, 
in  1754,  and  two  Misses  Phipps,  the  daughters  of  Mrs.  Howe,  who  was 
taken  at  Hinsdale,  in  1755.  Fanny  was  in  school  when  Mrs.  Howe  came 
for  her  daughters,  and  long  remembered  the  grief  and  lamentations 
of  the  young  captives  when  obliged  to  leave  their  school  and  mates  to 
return  to  a  strange,  though  their  native  country,  and  to  relatives  whom 
they  had  long  forgotten. 

While  at  school  at  Montreal,  her  brother  Joseph  again  visited  her.  He 
still  belonged  to  the  St.  Francois  tribe  of  Indians,  and  was  dressed  re 
markably  fine,  having  forty  or  fifty  broaches  in  his  shirt,  clasps  on  his 
arm,  and  a  great  variety  of  knots  and  bells  about  his  clothing.  He 
brought  his  little  sister  Ellen,  as  she  was  then  called,  and  who  was  then 
not  far  from  seven  years  old,  a  young  fawn,  a  basket  of  cranberries  and 
a  lump  of  sap  sugar.  The  little  girl  was  much  pleased  with  the  fawn, 
and  had  no  great  aversion  to  cranberries  and  sugar,  but  she  was  much 
frightened  by  the  appearance  of  Joseph,  and  would  receive  nothing  from 
his  hands,  till,  at  the  suggestion  of  her  friends,  he  had  washed  the  paint 
from  his  face  and  made  some  alteration  in  his  dress,  when  she  ventured 
to  accept  his  offerings,  and  immediately  ran  from  his  presence.  The  next 
day,  Joseph  returned  with  the  Indians  to  St.  Francois,  but  some  time 
afterward  M.  St.  Auge  purchased  him  of  the  savages,  and  dressed  him  in 
the  French  style;  but  he  never  appeared  so  bold  and  majestic,  so  spirited 
and  vivacious,  as  when  arrayed  in  his  Indian  habit  and  associating  with  his 
Indian  friends.  He  however  became  much  attached  to  St.  Auge,  who  put 
him  to  school ;  and  when  his  sister  parted  with  him  upon  leaving  Canada,  he 
gave  her  a  strict  charge  not  to  let  it  be  known  where  he  was,  lest  he  too 
should  be  obliged  to  leave  his  friends  and  return  to  the  place  of  his  birth. 

When  between  eleven  and  twelve  years  of  age,  Fanny  was  sent  to 
the  school  of  Ursuline  nuns  in  Quebec,  to  complete  her  education. 
Here  the  discipline  was  much  more  strict  and  solemn  than  hi  the  school 
at  Montreal.  In  both  places  the  teachers  were  called  half  nuns,  who,, 
not  being  professed,  were  allowed  to  go  in  and  out  at  pleasure ;  but  at 
Quebec  the  pupils  were  in  a  great  measure  secluded  from  the  world, 
being  permitted  to  walk  only  in  a  small  garden  by  day,  and  confined  by 
bolts  and  bars  in  their  cells  at  night  This  restraint  was  irksome  to 
Fanny.  She  grew  discontented;  and  at  the  close  of  the  year  was 
permitted  to  return  to  her  French  parents  at  Montreal,  and  again  enter 
the  school  in  that  city. 


468  CAPTIVITY    OF   FRANCES    NOBLE. 

While  Fanny  was  in  the  nunnery,  being  then  in  her  fourteenth  year, 
she  was  one  day  equally  surprised  and  alarmed  by  the  entrance  of  a 
stranger,  who  demanded  her  of  the  nuns  as  a  redeemed  captive.     Her 
father  had   employed  this  man,  Arnold,  to  seek  out  his  daughter  and 
obtain  her  from  the  French,  who  had  hitherto  succeeded  in  detaining 
her.     Arnold  was  well  calculated  for  this  employment      He  was  secret, 
subtle,  resolute  and  persevering.      He  had  been  some  time  in  the  city 
without  exciting  a  suspicion  of  his  business.      He  had  ascertained  where 
the  captive  was  to  be  found — he  had  procured  the  necessary  powers  to 
secure  her,  and  in  his  approach  to  the  nunnery  was  accompanied  by  a 
sergeant  and  a  file  of  men.     The  nuns  were  unwilling  to  deliver  up  their 
pupil,  and  required  to  know  by  what  right  he  demanded  her.      Arnold 
convinced  them  that  his  authority  was  derived  from  the  governor,  and 
they  durst  not  disobey.     Tliey,  however,  prolonged  the  time  as  much  as 
possible,  and  sent  word  to  M.  St.  Auge,  hoping  that  he  would  be  able  in 
some  way  or  other  to  detain  his  adopted  daughter.    Arnold,  however,  was 
not  to  be  delayed  or  trifled  with.     He  sternly  demanded  the  captive  by 
the  name  of  Noble  in  the  governor's  name,  and  the  nuns  were  awed  into 
submission.     Fanny,  weeping  and  trembling,  was  delivered  up  by  those 
who  wept  and   trembled  too.      She  accompanied  Arnold   to  the  gate 
of  the  nunnery,  but  the  idea  of  leaving  forever  those  whom  she  loved 
and  going  with  a  company  of  armed  men,  she  knew  not  whither,  was  too 
overwhelming,  and  she  sank  upon  the  ground.      Her  cries  and  lamen 
tations  drew  the  people  around  her,  and  she  exclaimed  bitterly  against 
the  cruelty  of  forcing  her  away,  declaring  that  she  could  not  and  would 
not  go  any  further  as  a  prisoner  with  those  frightful  soldiers.     At  this 
time  an  English  officer  appeared  in  the  crowd ;    he  reasoned  with  her, 
soothed  her,  and  persuaded  her  to  walk  with  him,  assuring  her  the  guard 
should  be  dismissed  and  no  injury  befall  her.      As  they  passed  by  the 
door  of  M.  St  Auge,  on  their  way  to  the  inn,  her  grief  and  exclamations 
were   renewed,  and  it  was  with  great  difficulty  that  she  could  be  per 
suaded  to  proceed.     But  the  guard  had  merely  fallen  back,  and  were 
near  enough  to  prevent  a  rescue,  had  an  attempt  been  made.     Captain 
M'Clure,  the  English  officer,  promised  her  that  she  should  be  permitted 
to  visit  her  French  parents  the  next  day.     She  found  them  in  tears,  but 
they  eould  not  detain  her.     M.  St.  Auge  gave  her  a  handful  of  money, 
and  embraced  her,  blessed  her,  and  rushed  out  of  the  room.     His  lady 
supplied  her  with  clothes,  and  their  parting  was  most  affectionate  and 
affecting.     She  lived  to  a  considerably  advanced  age,  but  she  could  never 
speak  of  this  scene  without  visible  and  deep  emotion. 

She  was  carried  down  the  river  to  Quebec,  where  she  tarried  a  few 


CAPTIVITY    OF   FRANCES    NOBLE.  469 

days,  and  then  sailed  with  Captain  Wilson  for  Boston.  She  arrived  at 
that  port  in  July,  one  month  before  she  was  fourteen  years  of  age.  She 
was  joyfully  received  by  her  friends,  but  her  father  did  not  long  survive 
her  return.  After  his  death  she  resided  in  the  family  of  Captain  Wilson, 
at  Boston,  until  she  had  acquired  the  English  language,  of  which  before 
she  was  almost  entirely  ignorant.  She  then  went  to  Newbury,  and 
lived  in  the  family  of  a  relative  of  her  father,  where  she  found  a  home, 
and  that  peace  to  which  she  had  long  been  a  stranger.  Her  education 
had  qualified  her  for  the  instruction  of  youth,  and  she  partially  devoted 
herself  to  that  employment.  She  was  engaged  in  a  school  at  Hampton, 
where  she  formed  an  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Jonathan  Tilton,  a  gentleman 
of  good  property  in  Kensington,  whom  she  married  about  the  year  1776. 
He  died  in  1798.  In  1801,  she  married  Mr.  John  Shute,  of  New  Market, 
and  lived  in  the  village  of  Newfields,  in  that  town,  till  her  death,  in 
September,  1819.  She  was  much  respected  and  esteemed  in  life,  and 
her  death  was,  as  her  life  had  been,  that  of  a  Christian, 


NARRATIVE   OF  THE    CAPTIVITY 


OP 


QUINTIN  STOCKWELL. 


IN  the  year  1677,  September  the  19th,  between  sunset  and  dark,  the 
Indians  came  upon  us.*  I  and  another  man,  being  together,  we  ran  away  at 
the  outcry  the  Indians  made,  shouting  and  shooting  at  some  others  of  the 
English  that  were  hard  by.     We  took  a  swamp  that  was  at  hand  for  our 
refuge;    the  enemy  espying  us  so  near  them,  ran  after  us,  and  shot 
many  guns  at  us ;  three  guns  were  discharged  upon  me,  the  enemy  being 
within  three  rods  of  me,  besides  many  others  before  that.     Being  in  this 
swamp,  which  was  miry,  I  slumped  in  and  fell  down,  whereupon  one  of 
the  enemy  stepped  to  me,  with  his  hatchet  lifted  up  to  knock  me  on  the 
head,  supposing  that  I  had  been  wounded  and  so  unfit  for  any  other 
travel.     I,  as  it  happened,  had  a  pistol  by  me,  which,  though  uncharged, 
I  presented  to  the  Indian,  who  presently  stepped  back,  and  told  me  if  I 
would  yield  I  should  have  no  hurt;  he  said,  which  was  not  true,  that 
they  had  destroyed  all  Hatfield,  and  that  the  woods  were  full  of  Indians, 
whereupon  I  yielded  myself,  and  falling  into  their  hands,  was  by  three 
of  them  led  away  unto  the  place  whence  first  I  began  to  make  my  flight 
Here  two  other  Indians  came  running  to  us,  and  the  one  lifting  up  the 
butt  end  of  his  gun,  to  knock  me  on  the  head,  the  other  with  his  hand 
put  by  the  blow,  and  said  I  was  his  friend.     I  was  now  by  my  own  house, 
which  the  Indians  burnt  the  last  year,  and  I  was  about  to  build  up  again ; 
and  there  I  had  some  hopes  to  escape  from  them.     There  was  a  horse 
just  by,  which  they  bid  me  take.     I  did  so,  but  made  no  attempt  to 
escape  thereby,  because  the  enemy  was  near,  and  the  beast  was  slow  and 
dull.     Then  was  I  in  hopes  they  would  send  me  to  take  my  own  horses, 
which  they  did;  but  they  were  so  frightened  that  I  could  not  come  near 
to  them,  and  so  fell  still  into  the  enemy's  hands.     They  now  took  and 
bound  me  and  led  me  away,  and  soon  was  I  brought  into  the  company 

*At  Deerfield,  Mass. 


QUINTIN  STOCKWELL'S  CAPTIVITY.  471 

of  other  captives,  who  were  that  day  brought  away  from  Hatfield,  who 
were  about  a  mile  off;  and  here  methought  was  matter  of  joy  and  sorrow 
both :  joy  to  see  company,  and  sorrow  for  our  condition.  Then  were  we 
pinioned  and  led  away  in  the  night  over  the  mountains,  in  dark  and  hideous 
ways,  about  four  miles  further,  before  we  took  up  our  place  for  rest, 
which  was  in  a  dismal  place  of  wood,  on  the  east  side  of  that  mountain. 
We  were  kept  bound  all  that  night  The  Indians  kept  waking,  and  we 
had  little  mind  to  sleep  in  this  night's  travel.  The  Indians  dispersed,  and 
as  they  went  made  strange  noises,  as  of  wolves  and  owls,  and  other  wild 
beasts,  to  the  end  that  they  might  not  lose  one  another,  and  if  followed 
they  might  not  be  discovered  by  the  English. 

About  the  break  of  day  we  marched  again,  and  got  over  that  great 
river  at  Pecomptuck  [Deerfield]  river  mouth,  and  there  rested  about  two 
hours.  Here  the  Indians  marked  out  upon  the  trees  the  number  of  their 
captives  and  slain,  as  their  manner  is.  Now  was  I  again  in  great  danger, 
a  quarrel  having  arose  about  me,  whose  captive  I  was ;  for  three  took  me. 
I  thought  I  must  be  killed  to  end  the  controversy,  so  when  they  put  it  to 
me,  whose  I  was,  I  said  three  Indians  took  me ;  so  they  agreed  to  have 
all  a  share  in  me.  I  had  now  three  masters,  and  he  was  my  chief  master 
who  laid  hands  on  me  first;  and  thus  was  I  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the 
worst  of  all  the  company,  as  Asphelon,  the  Indian  captain,  told  me 
which  captain  was  all  along  very  kind  to  me,  and  a  great  comfort  to  the 
English.  In  this  place  they  gave  us  some  victuals,  which  they  had 
brought  from  the  English.  This  morning  also  they  sent  ten  men  forth 
to  the  town  of  Deerfield  to  bring  away  what  they  could  find.  Some 
provision,  some  corn  out  of  the  meadow,  they  brought  to  us  on  horses, 
which  they  had  there  taken. 

From  hence  we  went  up  about  the  falls,  where  we  crossed  that  river 
again ;  and  whilst  I  was  going,  I  fell  right  down  lame  of  my  old  wounds, 
which  I  had  in  the  war,  and  whilst  I  was  thinking  I  should  therefore  be 
killed  by  the  Indians,  and  what  death  I  should  die,  my  pain  was  suddenly 
gone,  and  I  was  much  encouraged  again.  We  had  about  eleven  horses 
in  that  company,  which  the  Indians  used  to  convey  burdens,  and  to  carry 
women.  It  was  afternoon  when  we  now  crossed  that  river.  We  traveled 
up  it  till  night,  and  then  took  up  our  lodging  in  a  dismal  place,  and  were 
staked  down,  and  spread  out  on  our  backs ;  and  so  we  lay  all  night,  yea, 
BO  we  lay  many  nights.  They  told  me  their  law  was  that  we  should  lie 
so  nine  nights,  and  by  that  time  it  was  thought  we  should  be  out  of  our 
knowledge.  The  manner  of  staking  down  was  thus :  our  arms  and  legs 
stretched  out,  were  staked  fast  down,  and  a  cord  about  our  necks,  so  that 
we  could  stir  noways.  The  first  night  of  staking  down,  being  much  tired, 


472  QUINTIN  STOCKWELL'S  CAPTIVITY. 

I  slept  as  comfortable  as  ever.  The  next  day  we  went  up  the  river,  and 
crossed  it,  and  at  night  lay  in  Squakheag  [Northfield]  meadows.  Our 
provision  was  soon  spent,  and  while  we  lay  in  those  meadows  the  Indians 
went  a  hunting,  and  the  English  army  came  out  after  us.  Then  the 
Indians  moved  again,  dividing  themselves  and  the  captives  into  many 
companies,  that  the  English  might  not  follow  their  tracks.  At  night, 
having  crossed  the  river,  we  met  again  at  the  place  appointed.  The  next 
day  we  crossed  it  again  on  Squakheag  side,  and  there  we  took  up  our 
quarters  for  a  long  time.  I  suppose  this  might  be  about  thirty  miles 
above  Squakheag ;  and  here  were  the  Indians  quite  out  of  all  fear  of  the 
English,  but  in  great  fear  of  the  Mohawks.  Here  they  built  a  long 
wigwam,  and  had  a  great  dance,  as  they  call  it,  and  concluded  to  burn 
three  of  us,  and  had  got  bark  to  do  it  with ;  and,  as  I  understood  afterward, 
I  was  one  that  was  to  be  burnt,  sergeant  Plimpton  another,  and  Benjamin 
Waite's  wife  the  third.  Though  I  knew  not  which  was  to  be  burnt,  yet 
I  perceived  some  were  designed  thereunto;  so  mueh  I  understood  of  their 
language.  That  night  I  could  not  sleep  for  fear  of  next  day's  work.  The 
Indians  being  weary  with  the  dance,  lay  down  to  sleep,  and  slept  soundly. 
The  English  were  all  loose ;  then  I  went  out  and  brought  in  wood,  and 
mended  the  fire,  and  made  a  noise  on  purpose,  but  none  awakened.  I 
thought  if  any  of  the  English  would  awake,  we  might  kill  them  all 
sleeping.  I  removed  out  of  the  way  all  the  guns  and  hatchets,  but  my 
heart  failing  me,  I  put  all  the  things  where  they  were  again.  The  next  day, 
when  we  were  to  be  burnt,  our  master  and  some  others  spoke  for  us,  and 
the  eril  was  prevented  in  this  place.  Hereabouts  we  lay  three  weeks 
together.  Here  I  had  a  shirt  brought  to  me  to  make,  and  one  Indian 
said  it  should  be  made  this  way,  a  second  another  way,  a  third  his  way. 
I  told  them  I  would  make  it  that  way  my  chief  master  said;  whereupon 
one  Indian  struck  me  on  the  face  with  his  fist.  I  suddenly  rose  up  in 
anger,  ready  to  strike  again ;  upon  this  happened  a  great  hubbub,  and  the 
Indians  and  English  came  about  me.  I  was  fain  to  humble  myself  to 
my  master,  so  that  matter  was  put  up.  Before  I  came  to  this  place,  my 
three  masters  were  gone  a  hunting ;  I  was  left  with  another  Indian,  all 
the  company  being  upon  a  march ;  I  was  left  with  this  Indian,  who  fell 
sick,  so  that  I  was  fain  to  carry  his  gun  and  hatchet,  and  had  opportunity, 
and  had  thought  to  have  dispatched  him  and  run  away  ;  but  did  not,  for 
that  the  English  captives  had  promised  the  contrary  to  one  another; 
because,  if  one  should  run  away,  that  would  provoke  the  Indians,  and 
endanger  the  rest  that  could  not  run  away. 

Whilst  we  were  here,  Benjamin  Stebbins,  going  with  some  Indians  to 
Wachuset  Hills,  made  his  escape  from  them,  and  when  the  news  of  his 


QUINTIN  STOCKWELL'S  CAPTIVITY.  473 

escape  came  we  were  all  presently  called  in  and  bound;  one  of  the 
Indians,  a  captain  among  them,  and  always  our  great  friend,  met  me 
coming  in,  and  told  me  Stebbins  was  run  away ;  and  the  Indians  spake 
of  burning  us;  some,  of  only  burning  and  biting  off  our  fingers,  by  and 
by.  He  said  there  would  be  a  court,  and  all  would  speak  their  minds, 
but  he  would  speak  last,  and  would  say,  that  the  Indian  who  let  Steb 
bins  run  away  was  only  in  fault,  and  so  no  hurt  should  be  done  us,  and 
added,  "  fear  not,"  so  it  proved  accordingly.  Whilst  we  lingered  here 
about,  provision  grew  scarce;  one  bear's  foot  must  serve  five  of  us  a 
whole  day.  We  began  to  eat  horse-flesh,  and  eat  up  seven  in  all ;  three 
were  left  alive  and  not  killed.  After  we  had  been  here,  some  of  the 
Indians  had  been  down,  and  fallen  upon  Hadley,  and  were  taken  by  the 
English,  agreed  with  and  let  go  again.  They  were  to  meet  the  English 
upon  such  a  plain,  there  to  make  further  terms.  Ashpalon  was  much  for 
it,  but  Wachuset  sachems,  when  they  came,  were  much  against  it,  and 
were  for  this :  that  we  should  meet  the  English,  indeed,  but  there  fall 
upon  them  and  fight  them,  and  take  them.  Then  Ashpalon  spake  to  us 
English,  not  to  speak  a  word  more  to  further  that  matter,  for  mischief 
would  come  of  it.  When  those  Indians  came  from  Wachuset  there  canie 
with  them  squaws  and  children,  about  four  score,  who  reported  that  the 
English  had  taken  Uncas,  and  all  his  men,  and  sent  them  beyond  seas. 
They  were  much  enraged  at  this,  and  asked  if  it  were  true ;  we  said,  no. 
Then  was  Ashpalon  angry,  and  said  he  would  no  more  believe  English 
men.  They  examined  us  every  one  apart,  and  then  they  dealt  worse 
with  us  for  a  season  than  before.  Still  provision  was  scarce.  We  came 
at  length  to  a  place  called  Squaw  Maug  river;  there  we  hoped  for  sal 
mon;  but  we  came  too  late.  This  place  I  account  to  be  above  two 
hundred  miles  above  Deerfield.  We  now  parted  into  two  companies; 
some  went  one  way,  and  some  went  another  way ;  and  we  went  over  a 
mighty  mountain,  it  taking  us  eight  days  to  go  over  it,  and  traveled  very 
hard  too,  having  every  day  either  snow  or  rain.  We  noted  that  on  this 
mountain  all  the  water  run  northward.  Here  also  we  wanted  provision ; 
but  at  length  we  met  again  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountain,  viz :  oil 
the  north  side,  at  a  river  that  runs  into  the  lake ;  and  we  were  then  half 
a  day's  journey  off  the  lake. 

We  staid  there  a  great  while,  to  make  canoes  to  go  over  the  lake. 
Here  I  was  frozen,  and  again  we  were  like  to  starve.  All  the  Indians 
went  a  hunting,  but  could  get  nothing ;  divers  days  they  powwowed,  and 
yet  got  nothing;  then  they  desired  the  English  to  pray,  and  confessed 
they  could  do  nothing;  they  would  have  us  pray,  and  see  what  the  Eng 
lishman's  God  could  do.  I  prayed,  so  did  sergeant  Plimpton,  in  another 


474  QUiNTOff  STOCKWELL'S  CAPTIVITY. 

place.  The  Indians  reverently  attended,  morning  and  night.  Next  day 
they  got  bears ;  then  they  would  needs  have  us  desire  a  blessing,  and 
return  thanks  at  meals;  after  a  while  they  grew  weary  of  it,  and  the 
sachem  bid  forbid  us.  When  I  was  frozen  they  were  very  cruel  toward 
me  because  I  could  not  do  as  at  other  times.  When  we  came  to  the 
lake  we  were  again  sadly  put  to  it  for  provision.  We  were  fain  to  eat 
touchwood  fried  in  bear's  grease.  At  last  we  found  a  company  of  rac 
coons,  and  then  we  made  a  feast ;  and  the  manner  was  that  we  must  eat 
all.  I  perceived  there  would  be  too  much  for  one  time,  so  one  Indian 
who  sat  next  to  me  bid  me  slip  away  some  to  him  under  his  coat,  and  he 
would  hide  it  for  me  till  another  time.  This  Indian,  as  soon  as  he  had 
got  my  meat,  stood  up  and  made  a  speech  to  the  rest,  and  discovered 
me ;  so  that  the  Indians  were  very  angry  and  cut  me  another  piece,  and 
gave  me  raccoon  grease  to  drink,  which  made  me  sick  and  vomit.  I  told 
them  I  had  enough ;  so  ever  after  that  they  would  give  me  none, 
but  still  tell  me  I  had  raccoon  enough.  So  I  suffered  much,  and 
being  frozen,  was  full  of  pain,  and  could  sleep  but  a  little,  yet 
must  do  mywork.  When  they  went  upon  the  lake,  and  as  they  came 
to  it,  they  lit  of  a  moose  and  killed  it,  and  staid  there  till  they  had 
eaten  it  all  up. 

After  entering  upon  the  lake,  there  arose  a  great  storm,  and  we 
thought  we  should  all  be  cast  away,  but  at  last  we  got  to  an  island,  and 
there  they  went  to  powwowing.  The  powwow  said  that  Benjamin  Waite 
and  another  man  was  coming,  and  that  storm  was  raised  to  cast  them 
away.  This  afterward  appeared  to  be  true,  though  then  I  believed  them 
not  Upon  this  island  we  lay  still  several  days,  and  then  set  out  again, 
but  a  storm  took  us,  so  that  we  lay  to  and  fro,  upon  certain  islands,  about 
three  weeks.  We  had  no  provision  but  raccoons,  so  that  the  Indians 
themselves  thought  they  should  be  starved.  They  gave  me  nothing, 
so  that  I  was  sundry  days  without  any  provision.  We  went  on  upon 
the  lake,  upon  that  isle,  about  a  day's  journey.  We  had  a  little  sled 
upon  which  we  drew  our  load.  Before  noon,  I  tired,  and  just  then  the 
Indians  met  with  some  Frenchmen  ;  then  one  of  the  Indians  that  took 
me,  came  to  me,  and  called  me  all  manner  of  bad  names,  and  threw  me 
down  upon  my  back.  I  told  him  I  could  not  do  any  more  ;  then  he 
said  he  must  kill  me.  I  thought  he  was  about  to  do  it,  for  he  pulled 
out  his  knife  and  cut  out  my  pockets,  and  wrapped  them  about  my  face, 
helped  me  up,  and  took  my  sled  and  went  away,  giving  me  a  bit  of 
biscuit,  as  big  as  a  walnut,  which  he  had  of  the  Frenchman,  and  told 
me  he  would  give  me  a  pipe  of  tobacco.  When  my  sled  was  gone, 
I  could  run  after  him,  but  at  last  I  could  not  run,  but  went  a  foot-pace. 


QUINTIN  STOCKWELL'S  CAPTIVITY.  475 

The  Indians  were  soon  out  of  sight.     I  followed  as  well  as  I  could,  and 
had  many  falls  upon  the  ice. 

At  last,  I  was  so  spent,  I  had  not  strength  enough  to  rise  again,  but 
I  crept  to  a  tree  that  lay  along,  and  got  upon  it,  and  there  I  lay.  It 
was  now  night,  and  very  sharp  weather  :  I  counted  no  other  but  that  I 
must  die  here.  Whilst  I  was  thinking  of  death,  an  Indian  halloed,  and 
I  answered  him  ;  he  came  to  me,  and  called  me  bad  names,  and  told 
me  if  I  could  not  go,  he  must  knock  me  on  the  head.  I  told  him  he 
must  then  do  so  ;  he  saw  how  I  had  wallowed  in  the  snow,  but  could 
not  rise  ;  then  he  took  his  coat  and  wrapt  me  in  it,  and  went  back  and 
sent  two  Indians  with  a  sled.  One  said  he  must  knock  me  on  the  head, 
the  other  said  no,  they  would  carry  me  away  and  burn  me.  Then  they 
bid  me  stir  my  instep,  to  see  if  that  were  frozen  ;  I  did  so.  When  they 
saw  that,  they  said  that  was  Wurregen.  There  was  a  chirurgeon 
among  the  French,  they  said,  that  could  cure  me  ;  then  they  took  me 
upon  a  sled,  and  carried  me  to  the  fire,  and  made  much  of  me  ;  pulled 
off  my  wet  and  wrapped  me  in  my  dry  clothes,  and  made  me  a  good 
bed.  They  had  killed  an  otter,  and  gave  me  some  of  the  broth  made 
of  it,  and  a  bit  of  the  flesh.  Here  I  slept  till  toward  day,  and  then 
was  able  to  get  up  and  put  on  my  clothes.  One  of  the  Indians  awaked, 
and  seeing  me  walk,  shouted,  as  rejoicing  at  it  As  soon  as  it  was  light, 
I  and  Samuel  Russell  went  before  on  the  ice,  upon  a  river.  They  said 
I  must  go  where  I  could  on  foot,  else  I  should  freeze.  Samuel  Russell 
slipt  into  the  river  with  one  foot  ;  the  Indians  called  him  back,  and  dried 
his  stockings,  and  then  sent  us  away,  and  an  Indian  with  us  to  pilot  us. 
We  went  four  or  five  miles  before  they  overtook  us.  I  was  then  pretty 
well  spent.  Samuel  Russell  was,  he  said,  faint,  and  wondered  how  I 
could  live,  for  he  had,  he  said,  ten  meals  to  my  one.  Then  I  was  laid 
on  the  sled,  and  they  ran  away  with  me  on  the  ice  ;  the  rest  and  Samuel 
Russell  came  softly  after.  Samuel  Russell  I  never  saw  more,  nor  know 
I  what  became  of  him.  They  got  but  half  way,  and  we  got  through  to 
Shamblee  about  midnight.  Six  miles  off.  Shamblee,  (a  French  town,) 
the  river  was  open,  and,  when  I  came  to  travel  in  that  part  of  the  ice,  I 
soon  tired  ;  and  two  Indians  ran  away  to  town,  and  one  only  was  left  ; 
he  would  carry  me  a  few  rods,  and  then  I  would  go  as  many,  and  then 
a  trade  we  drove,  and  so  were  long  in  going  the  six  miles.  This  Indian 
was  now  kind,  and  told  me  that  if  he  did  not  carry  me  I  would  die,  and 
so  I  should  have  done,  sure  enough  ;  and  he  said  I  must  tell  the  English 
how  he  helped  me.  When  we  came  to  the  first  house,  there  was  no 


476  QUINTIN  STOCKWELL'S  CAPTIVITY. 

inhabitant.  The  Indian  was  also  spent,  and  both  were  discouraged  ;  he 
said  we  must  now  die  together.  At  last  he  left  me  alone,  and  got  to 
another  house,  and  thence  came  some  French  and  Indians,  and  brought 
me  in.  The  French  were  kind,  and  put  my  hands  and  feet  in  cold 
water,  and  gave  me  a  dram  of  brandy,  and  a  little  hasty  pudding  and 
milk  ;  when  I  tasted  victuals,  I  was  hungry,  and  could  not  have  for 
borne  it,  but  I  could  not  get  it.  Now  and  then  they  would  give  me  a 
little,  as  they  thought  best  for  me.  I  laid  by  the  fire  with  the  Indian 
that  night,  but  could  not  sleep  for  pain.  Next  morning,  the  Indians  and 
French  fell  out  about  me,  because  the  French,  as  the  Indians  said,  loved 
the  English  better  than  the  Indians.  The  French  presently  turned  the 
Indians  out  of  doors,  and  kept  me. 

They  were  very  kind  and  careful,  and  gave  me  a  little  something  now 
and  then.  While  I  was  here,  all  the  men  in  that  town  came  to  see  me. 
At  this  house  I  was  three  or  four  days,  and  then  invited  to  another,  and 
after  that'  to  another.  In  this  place  I  was  about  thirteen  days,  and 
received  much  civility  from  .a  young  man,  a  bachelor,  who  invited  me  to 
his  house,  with  whom  I  was  for  the  most  part  of  the  time.  He  was  so 
kind  as  to  lodge  me  in  the  bed  with  himself,  gave  me  a  shirt,  and  would 
have  bought  me,  but  could  not,  as  the  Indians  asked  one  hundred  pounds 
for  me.  We  were  then  to  go  to  a  place  called  Sorel,  and  that  young 
man  would  go  with  me,  because  the  Indians  should  not  hurt  me.  This 
man  carried  me  on  the  ice  one  day's  journey,  for  I  could  not  now  go  at 
all,  and  there  was  so  much  water  on  the  ice  we  could  go  no  farther.  So 
the  Frenchman  left  me,  and  provision  for  me.  Here  we  staid  two 
nights,  and  then  traveled  again,  for  now  the  ice  was  strong,  and  in  two 
days  more  we  came  to  Sorel.  When  we  got  to  the  first  house,  it  was 
late  in  the  night  ;  and  here  again  the  people  were  kind.  Next  day, 
being  in  much  pain,  I  asked  the  Indians  to  carry  me  to  the  chirurgeons, 
as  they  had  promised,  at  which  they  were  wroth,  and  one  of  them  took 
up  his  gun  to  knock  me,  but  the  Frenchman  would  not  suffer  it,  but  set 
upon  him  and  kicked  him  out  of  doors.  Then  we  went  away  from 
thence,  to  a  place  two  or  three  miles  off,  where  the  Indians  had  wigwams. 
When  I  came  to  these  wigwams,  some  of  the  Indians  knew  me,  and 
seemed  to  pity  me. 

While  I  was  here,  which  was  three  or  four  days,  the  French  came  to 
see  me  ;  and  it  being  Christmas  time,  they  brought  cakes  and  other 
provisions  with  them  and  gave  to  me,  so  that  I  had  no  want.  The 
Indians  tried  to  cure  me,  but  could  not.  Then  I  asked  for  the  chirur- 
geon,  at  which  one  of  the  Indians  in  anger  struck  me  on  the  face  with 
his  fist.  A  Frenchman  being  by,  spoke  to  him,  but  I  knew  not  what  he 


QUINTIN  STOCKWELL'S  CAPTIVITY.  477 

said,  and  then  went  his  way.  By  and  by  came  the  captain  of  the  place 
into  the  wigwam,  with  about  twelve  armed  men,  and  asked  where  the 
Indian  was  that  struck  the  Englishman.  They  took  him  and  told  him 
he  should  go  to  the  bilboes,  and  then  be  hanged.  The  Indians  were 
much  terrified  at  this,  as  appeared  by  their  countenances  and  trembling. 
I  would  have  gone  too,  but  the  Frenchman  bid  me  not  fear  ;  that  the 
Indians  durst  not  hurt  me.  When  that  Indian  was  gone,  I  had  two 
masters  still  I  asked  them  to  carry  me  to  that  captain,  that  I  might 
speak  for  the  Indian.  They  answered,  "You  are  a  fool.  Do  you  think 
the  French  are  like  the  English,  to  say  one  thing  and  do  another  ?  They 
are  men  of  their  words."  I  prevailed  with  them,  however,  to  help  me 
thither,  and  I  spoke  to  the  captain  by  an  interpreter,  and  told  him  I 
desired  him  to  set  the  Indian  free,  and  told  him  what  he  had  done  for 
me.  He  told  me  he  was  a  rogue,  and  should  be  hanged.  Then  I  spoke 
more  privately,  alledging  this  reason,  that  because  all  the  English  captives 
were  not  come  in,  if  he  were  hanged,  it  might  fare  the  worse  with  them. 
The  captain  said  "  that  was  to  be  considered."  Then  he  set  him  at 
liberty  upon  this  condition,  that  he  should  never  strike  me  more,  and 
every  day  bring  me  to  his  house  to  eat  victuals.  I  perceived  that  the 
common  people  did  not  like  what  the  Indians  had  done  and  did  to  the 
English.  When  the  Indian  was  set  free,  he  came  to  me,  and  took  me 
about  the  middle,  and  said  I  was  his  brother  ;  that  I  had  saved  his  life 
once,  and  he  had  saved  mine  thrice.  Then  he  called  for  brandy  and 
made  me  drink,  and  had  me  away  to  the  wigwams  again.  When  I  came 
there,  the  Indians  came  to  me  one  by  one,  to  shake  hands  with  me, 
saying  Wurregen  Netop,  and  were  very  kind,  thinking  no  other  but 
that  I  had  saved  the  Indian's  life. 

The  next,  day  he  carried  me  to  that  captain's  house,  and  set  me 
down.f  They  gave  me  my  victuals  and  wine,  and  being  left  there  a 
while  by  the  Indians,  I  showed  the  captain  my  fingers,  which,  when  he 
and  his  wife  saw,  they  ran  away  from  the  sight,  and  bid  me  lap  it  up 
again,  and  sent  for  the  chirurgeon  ;  who,  when  he  came,  said  he  could 
cure  me,  and  took  it  in  hand,  and  dressed  it.  The  Indians  toward  night 
came  for  me  ;  I  told  them  I  could  not  go  with  them.  They  were  dis 
pleased,  called  me  rogue,  and  went  away.  That  night  I  was  full  of  pain ; 
the  French  feared  that  I  would  die  ;  five  men  did  watch  with  me, 
and  strove  to  keep  me  cheerly,  for  I  was  sometimes  ready  to  faint 
Oftentimes  they  gave  me  a  little  brandy.  The  next  day  the  chirurgeon 
came  again,  and  dressed  me  ;  and  so  he  did  all  the  while  I  was 


478  QUINTIN  STOCKWELL'S  CAPTIVITY. 

among  the  French.      I  came  in  at  Christmas,  and  went  thence  on  the 
second  of  May. 

Being  thus  in  the  captain's  house,  I  was  kept  there  till  Benjamin  Waite 
came  ;  and  now  my  Indian  master,  being  in  want  of  money,  pawned  me 
to  the  captain  for  fourteen  beavers'  skins,  or  the  worth  of  them,  at  such 
a  day  ;  if  he  did  not  pay,  he  must  lose  his  pawn,  or  else  sell  me  for 
twenty-one  beavers,  but  he  could  not  get  beaver,  and  so  I  was  sold. 
By  being  thus  sold,  adds  Dr.  Mather,  he  was  in  God's  good  time  set  at 
liberty,  and  returned  to  his  friends  in  New  England  again. 


NARRATIVE    OF    THE    CAPTIVITY 

OP 

PETER  WILLIAMSON. 


I  was  born  within  ten  miles  of  the  town  of  Aberdeen,  in  the  north  of 
Scotland,  of  reputable  parents.  At  eight  years  of  age,  being  a  sturdy 
boy,  I  was  taken  notice  of  by  two  fellows  belonging  to  a  vessel,  employed 
(as  the  trade  then  was)  by  some  of  the  worthy  merchants  of  Aberdeen 
in  that  vilknous  and  execrable  practice  of  stealing  young  children  from 
their  parents,  and  selling  them  as  slaves  in  the  plantations  abroad,  and 
on  board  the  ship  I  was  easily  cajoled  by  them,  where  I  was  conducted 
between  decks,  to  some  others  they  had  kidnapped  in  the  same  manner, 
and  in  about  a  month's  time  set  sail  for  America.  When  arrived  at  Phila 
delphia,  the  captain  sold  us  at  about  sixteen  pounds  per  head.  What  be 
came  of  my  unhappy  companions  I  never  knew  ;  but  it  was  my  lot  to  be 
sold  for  seven  years,  to  one  of  my  countrymen,  who  had  in  his  youth  been 
kidnapped  like  myself,  but  from  another  town. 

Having  no  children  of  his  own,  and  commiserating  my  condition,  he 
took  care  of  me,  indulged  me  in  going  to  school,  where  I  went  every  win 
ter  for  five  years,  and  made  a  tolerable  proficiency.  With  this  good 
master  I  continued  till  he  died,  and,  as  a  reward  for  my  faithful  service, 
he  left  me  two  hundred  pounds  currency,  which  was  then  about  an 
hundred  and  twenty  pounds  sterling,  his  best  horse,  saddle,  and  all  his 
wearing  apparel. 

Being  now  seventeen  years  old,  and  my  own  master,  having  money  in 
my  pocket,  and  all  other  necessaries,  I  employed  myself  in  jobbing  for 
near  seven  years  ;  when  I  resolved  to  settle,  and  married  the  daughter 
of  a  substantial  planter.  My  father-in-law  made  me  a  deed  of  gift  of  a 
tract  of  land  that  lay  (unhappily  for  me,  as  it  has  since  proved)  on  the 
frontiers  of  the  province  of  Pennsylvania,  near  the  forks  of  Delaware, 
containing  about  two  hundred  acres,  thirty  of  which  were  well  cleared  and 
fit  for  immediate  use;  on  which  were  a  good  house  and  barn.  The  place 


480  CAPTIVITY    OF    PETER   WILLIAMSON. 

pleasing  me  well,  I  settled  on  it  My  money  I  expended  in  buying  stock, 
household  furniture,  and  implements  for  out-of-door  work  ;  and  being 
happy  in  a  good  wife,  my  felicity  was  complete  :  but  in  1754,  the  Indians, 
who  had  for  a  long  time  before  ravaged  and  destroyed  other  parts  of 
America  unmolested,  began  now  to  be  very  troublesome  on  the  frontiers 
of  our  province,  where  they  generally  appeared  in  small  skulking  parties, 
committing  great  devastations. 

Terrible  and  shocking  to  human  nature  were  the  barbarities  daily  com 
mitted  by  these  savages  !  Scarce  did  a  day  pass  but  some  unhappy 
family  or  other  fell  victims  to  savage  cruelty.  Terrible,  indeed,  it  proved 
to  me,  as  well  as  to  many  others.  I,  that  was  now  happy  in  an  easy 
state  of  life  ;  blessed  with  an  affectionate  and  tender  wife,  became  on  a 
sudden  one  of  the  most  unhappy  of  mankind :  scarce  can  I  sustain  the 
shock  which  forever  recurs  on  recollecting  the  fatal  second  of  October, 
1754.  My  wife  that  day  went  from  home,  to  visit  some  of  her  relations  ; 
as  I  staid  up  later  than  usual,  expecting  her  return,  none  being  in  the 
house  besides  myself,  how  great  was  my  surprise  and  terror,  when,  about 
eleven  o'clock  at  night,  I  heard  the  dismal  war-whoop  of  the  savages,  and 
found  that  my  house  was  beset  by  them.  I  flew  to  my  chamber  window, 
and  perceived  them  to  be  twelve  in  number.  Having-  my  gun  loaded,  I 
threatened  them  with  death,  if  they  did  not  retire.  But  how  vain  and 
fruitless  are  the  efforts  of  one  man  against  the  united  force  of  so  many  blood 
thirsty  monsters  !  One  of  them,  that  could  speak  English,  threatened  me 
in  return,  "  That  if  I  did  not  come  out  they  would  burn  me  alive,"  adding, 
however,  "  that  if  I  would  come  out  and  surrender  myself  prisoner,  they 
would  not  kill  me."  In  such  deplorable  circumstances,  I  chose  to  rely  on 
their  promises,  rather  than  meet  death  by  rejecting  them;  and  accordingly 
went  out  of  the  house,  with  my  gun  in  my  hand,  not  knowing  that  I  had 
it.  Immediately  on  my  approach  they  rushed  on  me  like  tigers,  and  in 
stantly  disarmed  me.  Having  me  thus  in  their  power,  they  bound  me  to 
a  tree,  went  into  the  house,  plundered  it  of  every  thing  they  could  carry 
off,  and  then  set  fire  to  it,  and  consumed  what  was  left,  before  my  eyes. 
Not  satisfied  with  this,  they  set  fire  to  my  barn,  stable,  and  out-houses, 
wherein  were  about  two  hundred  bushels  of  wheat,  six  cows,  four  horses, 
and  five  sheep,  all  of  which  were  consumed  to  ashes. 

Having  thus  finished  the  execrable  business  about  which  they  came, 
one  of  the  monsters  came  to  me  with  a  tomahawk  and  threatened  me 
with  the  worst  of  deaths  if  I  would  not  go  with  them.  This  I  agreed  to, 
and  then  they  untied  me,  gave  me  a  load  to  carry,  under  which  I  traveled 
all  that  night,  full  of  the  most  terrible  apprehensions,  lest  my  unhappy 
wife  should  likewise  have  fallen  into  their  cruel  power.  At  daybreak  iny 


CAPTIVITY    OF    PETER  WILLIAMSON.  481 

infernal  masters  ordered  me  to  lay  down  my  load,  when,  tying  my  hands 
again  round  a  tree,  they  forced  the  blood  out  at  my  fingers'  ends.  And 
then  kindling  a  fire  near  the  tree  to  which  I  was  bound,  the  most  dreadful 
agonies  seized  me,  concluding  I  was  to  be  made  a  sacrifice  to  their  barbar 
ity.  The  fire  being  made,  they  for  some  time  danced  round  me  after  their 
manner,  whooping,  hollowing  and  shrieking  in  a  frightful  manner.  Being 
satisfied  with  this  sort  of  mirth,  they  proceeded  in  another  manner :  taking 
the  burning  coals,  and  sticks  flaming  with  fire  at  the  ends,  holding  them 
to  my  face,  head,  hands,  and  feet,  and  at  the  same  time  threatening  to 
burn  me  entirely  if  I  cried  out  Thus,  tortured  as  I  was,  almost  to  death, 
I  suffered  their  brutalities,  without  being  able  to  vent  my  anguish  other 
wise  than  by  shedding  silent  tears ;  and  these  being  observed,  they  took 
fresh  coals  and  applied  them  near  my  eyes,  telling  me  my  face  was  wet, 
and  that  they  would  dry  it  for  me,  which  indeed  they  cruelly  did.  How 
I  underwent  these  tortures  has  been  matter  of  wonder  to  me,  but  God 
enabled  me  to  wait  with  more  than  common  patience  for  the  deliverance 
I  daily  prayed  for. 

At  length  they  sat  down  round  the  fire,  and  roasted  the  meat,  of  which 
they  had  robbed  my  dwelling.  When  they  had  supped,  they  offered  some 
to  me ;  though  it  may  easily  be  imagined  I  had  but  little  appetite  to  eat, 
after  the  tortures  and  miseries  I  had  suffered,  yet  was  I  forced  to  seem 
pleased  with  what  they  offered  me,  lest  by  refusing  it  they  should  re 
sume  their  hellish  practices.  What  I  could  not  eat  I  contrived  to  hide, 
they  having  unbound  me  till  they  imagined  I  had  eat  all ;  but  then  they 
bound  me  as  before ;  in  which  deplorable  condition  I  was  forced  to  con 
tinue  the  whole  day.  When  the  sun  was  set,  they  put  out  the  fire,  and 
covered  the  ashes  with  leaves,  as  is  their  usual  custom,  that  the  white 
people  might  not  discover  any  traces  of  their  having  been  there. 

Going  from  thence  along  the  Susquehanna,  for  the  space  of  six  miles, 
loaded  as  I  was  before,  we  arrived  at  a  spot  near  the  Apalachian  moun 
tains,  or  Blue  hills,  where  they  hid  their  plunder  under  logs  of  wood. 
From  thence  they  proceeded  to  a  neighboring  house,  occupied  by  one 
Jacob  Snider  and  his  unhappy  family,  consisting  of  his  wife,  five  children, 
and  a  young  man  his  servant.  They  soon  got  admittance  into  the  unfor 
tunate  man's  house,  where  they  immediately,  without  the  least  remorse, 
scalped  both  parents  and  children;  nor  could  the  tears,  the  shrieks,  or 
cries  of  poor  innocent  children  prevent  their  horrid  massacre.  Having  thus 
scalped  them,  and  plundered  the  house  of  every  thing  that  was  mov 
able,  they  set  fire  to  it,  and  left  the  distressed  victims  amidst  the  flames. 

Thinking  the  young  man  belonging  to  this  unhappy  family  would  be 
of  service  to  them  in  carrying  part  of  their  plunder,  they  spared  his  life, 

31 


482  CAPTIVITY    OF    PETER  WILLIAMSON. 

and  loaded  him  and  myself  with  what  they  had  here  got,  and  again 
marched  to  the  Blue  hills,  where  they  stowed  their  goods  as  before.  My 
fellow  sufferer  could  not  support  the  cruel  treatment  which  we  were 
obliged  to  suffer,  and  complaining  bitterly  to  me  of  his  being  unable  to 
proceed  any  farther,  I  endeavored  to  animate  him,  but  all  in  vain,  for  he 
still  continued  his  moans  and  tears,  which  one  of  the  savages  perceiving, 
as  we  traveled  along,  came  up  to  us,  and  with  his  tomahawk  gave  him  a 
blow  on  the  head,  which  felled  the  unhappy  youth  to  the  ground,  whom 
they  immediately  scalped  and  left.  The  suddenness  of  this  murder 
shocked  me  to  that  degree,  that  I  was  in  a  manner  motionless,  expecting 
my  fate  would  soon  be  the  same:  however,  recovering  my  distracted 
thoughts,  I  dissembled  my  anguish  as  well  as  I  could  from  the  barbarians ; 
but  still,  such  was  my  terror,  that  for  some  time  I  scarce  knew  the  days 
of  the  week,  or  what  I  did. 

They  still  kept  on  their  course  near  the  mountains,  where  they  lay 
skulking  four  or  five  days,  rejoicing  at  the  plunder  they  had  got.  When 
provisions  became  scarce,  they  made  their  way  toward  Susquehanna,  and 
passing  near  another  house,  inhabited  by  an  old  man,  whose  name  was 
John  Adams,  with  his  wife  and  four  small  children,  and  meeting  with  no 
resistance,  they  immediately  scalped  the  mother  and  her  children  before 
the  old  man's  eyes.  Inhuman  and  horrid  as  this  was,  it  did  not  satisfy 
them ;  for  when  they  had  murdered  the  poor  woman,  they  acted  with  her 
in  such  a  brutal  manner  as  decency  will  not  permit  me  to  mention.  The 
unhappy  husband,  not  being  able  to  avoid  the  sight,  entreated  them  to 
put  an  end  to  his  miserable  being ;  but  they  were  as  deaf  to  the  tears  and 
entreaties  of  this  venerable  sufferer  as  they  had  been  to  those  of  the 
others,  and  proceeded  to  burn  and  destroy  his  house,  barn,  corn,  hay, 
cattle,  and  every  thing  the  poor  man  a  few  hours  before  was  master  of. 
Having  saved  what  they  thought  proper  from  the  flames,  they  gave  the 
old  man,  feeble,  weak,  and  in  the  miserable  condition  he  then  was,  as  well 
as  myself,  burdens  to  carry,  and  loading  themselves  likewise  with  bread 
and  meat,  pursued  their  journey  toward  the  Great  Swamp.  Here  they 
lay  for  eight  or  nine  days,  diverting  themselves,  at  times,  in  barbarous 
cruelties  on  the  old  man :  sometimes  they  would  strip  him  naked,  and 
paint  him  all  over  with  various  sorts  of  colors ;  at  other  times  they  would 
pluck  the  white  hairs  from  his  head,  and  tauntingly  tell  him  he  was  a  fool 
for  living  so  long,  and  that  they  would  show  him  kindness  in  putting  him  out 
of  the  world.  In  vain  were  all  his  tears,  for  daily  did  they  tire  them 
selves  with  the  various  means  they  tried  to  torment  him ;  sometimes  tying 
him  to  a  tree,  and  whipping  him ;  at  other  times,  scorching  his  furrowed 
cheek  with  red  hot  coals,  and  burning  his  legs  quite  to  the  knees.  One 


CAPTIVITY    OF   PETER   WILLIAMSON.  483 

night,  after  he  had  been  thus  tormented,  while  he  and  I  were  condoling 
each  other  at  the  miseries  we  daily  suffered,  twenty-five  other  Indians 
arrived,  bringing  with  them  twenty  scalps  and  three  prisoners,  who  had 
unhappily  fallen  into  their  hands  in  Oonogocheague,  a  small  town  near 
the  river  Susquehanna,  chiefly  inhabited  by  the  Irish.      These  prisoners 
gave  us  some  shocking  accounts  of  the  murders  and  devastations  com 
mitted  in  their  parts ;  a  few  instances  of  which  will  enable  the  reader  to 
guess  at  the  treatment  the  provincials  have  suffered  for  years  past.     This 
party  who  now  joined  us,  had  it  not,  I  found,  in  their  power  to  begin 
their  violences   so  soon   as  those  who  visited  my  habitation;    the  first 
of  their  tragedies  being  on  the  25th  of  October,  1754,  when  John  Lewis, 
with  his  wife   and  three   small   children,  were  inhumanly  scalped  and 
murdered,  and  his  house,  barn,  and  every  thing  he  possessed  burnt  and 
destroyed.     On  the  28th,  Jacob  Miller,  with  his  wife  and  six  of  his  family, 
with  every  thing  gn  his  plantations,  shared  the  same  fate.     The  30th,  the 
house,  mill,  barn,  twenty  head  of  cattle,  two  teams  of  horses,  and  every 
thing  belonging  to  George  Folke,  met  with  the   like  treatment,  himself 
wife,  and  all  his  miserable  family,  consisting  of  nine  in  number,  being 
scalped,  then  cut  in  pieces  and  given  to  the  swine.     One  of  the  substan 
tial  traders,  belonging  to  the  province,  having  business  that  called  him 
some  miles  up  the  country,  fell  into  the  hands  of  these  ruffians,  who  not 
only  scalped  him,  but  immediately  roasted  him  before  he  was  dead ;  then, 
like  cannibals,  for  want  of  other  food,  eat  his  whole  body,  and  of  his  head 
made,  what  they  called,  an  Indian  pudding. 

From  these  few  instances  of  savage  cruelty,  the  deplorable  situation 
of  the  defenseless  inhabitants,  and  what  they  hourly  suffered  in  that  part 
of  the  globe,  must  strike  the  utmost  horror,  and  cause  in  every  breast 
the  utmost  detestation,  not  only  against  the  authors,  but  against  those 
who,  through  inattention,  or  pusillanimous  or  erroneous  principles,  suffered 
these  savages  at  first,  unrepelled,  or  even  unmolested,  to  commit  such 
outrages,  depredations  and  murders. 

The  three  prisoners  that  were  brought  with  these  additional  forces, 
constantly  repining  at  their  lot,  and  almost  dead  with  their  excessive  hard 
treatment,  contrived  at  last  to  make  their  escape:  but  being  far  from 
their  own  settlements,  and  not  knowing  the  country,  were  soon  after  met 
by  some  others  of  the  tribes  or  nations  at  war  with  us  and  brought  back. 
The  poor  creatures,  almost  famished  for  want  of  sustenance,  having  had 
none  during  the  time  of  their  escape,  were  no  sooner  in  the  power  of  the 
barbarians  than  two  of  them  were  tied  to  a  tree,  and  a  great  fire  made 
round  them,  where  they  remained  till  they  were  terribly  scorched  and 
burnt;  when  one  of  the  villains  with  his  scalping  knife  ripped  open  their 


484  CAPTIVITY    OF    PETER   WILLIAMSON. 

bellies,  took  out  their  entrails,  and  burned  them  before  their  eyes,  while 
the  others  were  cutting,  piercing,  and  tearing  the  flesh  from  their  breasts, 
hands,  arms  and  legs,  with  red-hot  irons,  till  they  were  dead.  The  third 
unhappy  victim  was  reserved  a  few  hours  longer,  to  be,  if  possible,  sac 
rificed  in  a  more  cruel  manner:  his  arms  were  tied  close  to  his  body,  and 
a  hole  being  dug  deep  enough  for  him  to  stand  upright,  he  was  put  into 
it,  and  earth  rammed  and  beat  in  all  round  his  body  up  to  his  neck,  so 
that  his  head  only  appeared  above  ground;  they  then  scalped  him,  and 
there 'let  him  remain  for  three  or  four  hours  in  the  greatest  agonies; 
after  which  they  made  a  small  fire  near  his  head,  causing  him  to  suffer 
the  most  excruciating  torments ;  while  the  poor  creature  could  only  cry 
for  mercy  by  killing  him  immediately,  for  his  brains  were  boiling  in  his 
head.  Inexorable  to  all  he  said,  they  continued  the  fire  till  his  eyes 
gushed  out  of  their  sockets.  Such  agonizing  torments  did  this  unhappy 
creature  suffer  for  near  two  hours  before  he  was  quite  dead.  They  then 
cut  off  his  head,  and  buried  it  with  the  other  bodies ;  my  task  being  to 
dig  the  graves ;  which,  feeble  and  terrified  as  I  was,  the  dread  of  suffering 
the  same  fate  enabled  me  to  do. 

A  great  snow  now  falling,  the  barbarians  were  fearful  lest  the  white 
people  should,  by  their  tracks,  find  out  their  skulking  retreats,  which 
obliged  them  to  make  the  best  of  their  way  to  their  winter  quarters, 
about  two  hundred  miles  farther  from  any  plantations  or  inhabitants. 
After  a  long  and  painful  journey,  being  almost  starved,  I  arrived  with 
this  infernal  crew  at  Alamingo.  There  I  found  a  number  of  wigwams 
full  of  their  women  and  children.  Dancing,  singing  and  shouting  were 
their  general  amusements.  And  in  all  their  festivals  and  dances  they 
relate  what  successes  they  have  had,  and  what  damages  they  have  sus 
tained  in  their  expeditions;  in  which  I  now  unhappily  became  a  part 
of  their  theme.  The  severity  of  the  cold  increasing,  they  stripped  me 
of  my  clothes  for  their  own  use,  and  gave  me  such  as  they  usually  wore 
themselves,  being  a  piece  of  blanket,  and  a  pair  of  moccasons,  or  shoes, 
with  a  yard  of  coarse  cloth,  to  put  round  me  instead  of  breeches. 

At  Alamingo,  I  remained  near  two  months,  till  the  snow  was  off  the 
ground.  Whatever  thoughts  I  might  have  of  making  my  escape,  to 
carry  them  into  execution  was  impracticable,  being  so  far  from  any  plan 
tations  or  white  people,  and  the  severe  weather  rendering  my  limbs  in  a 
manner  quite  stiff  and  motionless;  however,  I  contrived  to  defend  myself 
against  the  inclemency  of  the  weather  as  well  as  I  could,  by  making 
myself  a  little  wigwam  with  the  bark  of  the  trees,  covering  it  with  earth, 
which  made  it  resemble  a  cave ;  and  to  prevent  the  ill  effects  of  the  cold, 
I  kept  a  good  fire  always  near  the  door.  My  liberty  of  going  about  was, 


CAPTIVITY    OF    PETER   WILLIAMSON.  485 

indeed,  more  than  I  could  have  expected,  but  they  well  knew  the  im 
practicability  of  my  escaping  from  them.  Seeing  me  outwardly  easy 
and  submissive,  they  would  sometimes  give  me  a  little  meat,  but  my 
chief  food  was  Indian  corn.  At  length  the  time  came  when  they  were 
preparing  themselves  for  another  expedition  against  the  planters  and 
white  people ;  but  before  they  set  out,  they  were  joined  by  many  other 
Indians. 

As  soon  as  the  snow  was  quite  gone,  they  set  forth  on  their  journey 
toward  the  back  parts  of  the  province  of  Pennsylvania;  all  leaving  their 
wives  and  children  behind  in  their  wigwams.  They  were  now  a  formi 
dable  body,  amounting  to  near  one  hundred  and  fifty.  My  business  was 
to  carry  what  they  thought  proper  to  load  me  with,  but  they  never  en 
trusted  me  with  a  gun.  We  marched  on  several  days  without  any  thing 
particular  occurring,  almost  famished  for  want  of  provisions ;  for  my  part, 
I  had  nothing  but  a  few  stalks  of  Indian  corn,  which  I  was  glad  to  eat 
dry;  nor  did  the  Indians  themselves  fare  much  better,  for  as  we  drew 
near  the  plantations  they  were  afraid  to  kill  any  game,  lest  the  noise  of 
their  guns  should  alarm  the  inhabitants. 

When  we  again  arrived  at  the  Blue  hills,  about  thirty  miles  from  the 
Irish  settlements  before  mentioned,  we  encamped  for  three  days,  though 
God  knows  we  had  neither  tents  nor  any  thing  else  to  defend  us  from 
the  inclemency  of  the  air,  having  nothing  to  lie  on  by  night  but  the  grass; 
their  usual  method  of  lodging,  pitching,  or  encamping,  by  night,  being  in 
parcels  of  ten  or  twelve  men  to  a  fire,  where  they  lie  upon  the  grass  or 
brush  wrapped  up  in  a  blanket,  with  their  feet  to  the  fire. 

During  our  stay  here,  a  sort  of  council  of  war  was  held,  when  it  was 
agreed  to  divide  themselves  into  companies  of  about  twenty  men  each ; 
after  which  every  captain  marched  with  his  party  where  he  thought 
proper.  I  still  belonged  to  my  old  masters,  but  was  left  behind  on  the 
mountains  with  ten  Indians,  to  stay  till  the  rest  should  return;  not 
thinking  it  proper  to  carry  me  nearer  to  Conogocheague,  or  the  other 
plantations. 

Here  I  began  to  meditate  an  escape,  and  though  I  knew  the  country 
round  extremely  well,  yet  I  was  very  cautious  of  giving  the  least  suspi 
cion  of  any  such  intention.  However,  the  third  day  after  the  grand  body 
left,  my  companions  thought  proper  to  traverse  the  mountains  in  search 
of  game  for  their  sustenance,  leaving  me  bound  in  such  a  manner  that  I 
could  not  escape.  At  night,  when  they  returned,  having  unbound  me,  we 
all  sat  down  together  to  supper  on  what  they  had  killed,  and  soon  after 
(being  greatly  fatigued  with  their  day's  excursion)  they  composed  them 
selves  to  rest,  as  usual.  I  now  tried  various  ways  to  try  whether  it  was  a 


486  CAPTIVITY    OF    PETER   WILLIAMSON. 

scheme  to  prove  my  intentions  or  not;  but  after  making  a  noise  and 
walking  about,  sometimes  touching  them  with  my  feet,  I  found  there  was 
no  fallacy.  Then  I  resolved,  if  possible,  to  get  one  of  their  guns,  and, 
if  discovered,  to  die  in  my  defense,  rather  than  be  taken.  For  that  pur 
pose  I  made  various  efforts  to  get  one  from  under  their  heads,  (where  they 
always  secured  them,)  but  in  vain.  Disappointed  in  this,  I  began  to 
despair  of  carrying  my  design  into  execution ;  yet,  after  a  little  recollec 
tion,  and  trusting  myself  to  the  divine  protection,  I  set  forward,  naked 
and  defenseless  as  I  was.  Such  was  my  terror,  however,  that  in  going 
from  them  I  halted,  and  paused  every  four  or  five  yards,  looking  fearfully 
toward  the  spot  where  I  had  left  them,  lest  they  should  awake  and  miss 
me ;  but  when  I  was  two  hundred  yards  from  them,  I  mended  my  pace, 
and  made  as  much  haste  as  I  possibly  could  to  the  foot  of  the  mountains ; 
when,  on  a  sudden,  I  was  struck  with  the  greatest  terror  at  hearing  the 
wood  cry,  as  it  is  called,  which  the  savages  I  had  left  were  making  upon 
missing  their  charge.  The  more  my  terror  increased  the  faster  I  pushed 
on,  and  scarce  knowing  where  I  trod,  drove  through  the  woods  with  the 
utmost  precipitation,  sometimes  falling  and  bruising  myself,  cutting  my 
feet  and  legs  against  the  stones  in  a  miserable  manner.  But  faint  and 
maimed  as  I  was,  I  continued  my  flight  till  daybreak,  when,  without  hav 
ing  any  thing  to  sustain  nature  but  a  little  corn  left,  I  crept  into  a  hollow 
tree,  where  I  lay  very  snug,  and  returned  my  prayers  and  thanks  to  the 
divine  Being  that  had  thus  far  favored  my  escape.  But  my  repose  was 
in  a  few  hours  destroyed  at  hearing  the  voices  of  the  savages  near  the 
place  where  I  was  hid,  threatening  and  talking  how  they  would  use  me 
if  they  got  me  again.  However,  they  at  last  left  the  spot  where  I  heard 
them,  and  I  remained  in  my  apartment  all  that  day  without  further 
molestation. 

At  night  I  ventured  forward  again,  frightened;  thinking  each  twig 
that  touched  me  a  savage.  The  third  day  I  concealed  myself  in  like 
manner  as  before,  and  at  night  traveled,  keeping  off  the  main  road  as 
much  as  possible,  which  lengthened  my  journey  many  miles.  But  how 
shall  I  describe  the  terror  I  felt  on  the  fourth  night,  when  by  the  rustling 
I  made  among  the  leaves,  a  party  of  Indians,  that  lay  round  a  small  fire, 
which  I  did  not  perceive,  started  from  the  ground,  and  seizing  their  arms, 
ran  from  the  fire  among  the  woods.  Whether  to  move  forward  or  rest 
where  I  was,  I  knew  not,  when  to  my  great  surprise  and  joy,  I  was 
relieved  by  a  parcel  of  swine  that  made  toward  the  place  where  I  guessed 
the  savages  to  be ;  who,  on  seeing  them,  imagined  they  had  caused  the 
alarm,  very  merrily  returned  to  the  fire,  and  lay  again  down  to  sleep. 
Bruised,  crippled,  and  terrified  as  I  was,  I  pursued  my  journey  till  break 


CAPTIVITY    OF   PETER    WILLIAMSON.  487 

of  day,  when,  thinking  myself  safe,  I  lay  down  under  a  great  log,  and 
slept  till  about  noon.  Before  evening  I  reached  the  summit  of  a  great 
hill,  and  looking  out  if  I  could  spy  any  habitations  of  white  people,  to 
my  inexpressible  joy  I  saw  some,  which  I  guessed  to  be  about  ten  miles 
distant. 

In  the  morning,  I  continued  my  journey  toward  the  nearest  cleared 
lands  I  had  seen  the  day  before,  and,  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
arrived  at  the  house  of  John  Bell,  an  old  acquaintance,  where,  knocking 
at  the  door,  his  wife,  who  opened  it,  seeing  me  in  such  a  fiightful  condi 
tion,  flew  from  me  screaming,  into  the  house.  This  alarmed  the  whole 
family,  who  immediately  fled  to  their  arms,  and  I  was  soon  accosted  by 
the  master  with  his  gun  in  his  hand.  But  on  making  myself  known,  (for 
he  before  took  *ne  to  be  an  Indian,)  he  immediately  caressed  me,  as  did 
all  his  family,  with  extraordinary  friendship,  the  report  of  my  being  mur 
dered  by  the  savages  having  reached  them  some  months  before.  For 
two  days  and  nights  they  very  affectionately  supplied  me  with  all  neces 
saries,  and  carefully  attended  me  till  my  spirits  and  limbs  were  pretty 
well  recovered,  and  I  thought  myself  able  to  ride,  when  I  borrowed  of 
these  good  people  (whose  kindness  merits  my  most  grateful  returns)  a 
horse  and  some  clothes,  and  set  forward  for  my  father-in-law's  house  in 
Chester  county,  about  one  hundred  and  forty  miles  from  thence,  where  I 
arrived  on  the  4th  of  January,  1755,  (but  scarce  one  of  the  family  could 
credit  their  eyes,  believing,  with  the  people  I  had  lately  left,  that  I  had 
fallen  a  prey  to  the  Indians,)  where  I  was  received  and  embraced  by  the 
whole  family  with  great  affection.  Upon  inquiring  for  my  dear  wife,  I 
found  she  had  been  dead  two  months !  This  fatal  news  greatly  lessened 
the  joy  I  otherwise  should  have  felt  at  my  deliverance  from  the  dreadful 
state  and  company  I  had  been  in. 


NARRATIVE    OF  THE   CAPTIVITY 

OP 

JONATHAN  CARVER. 


GEN.  WEBB,  who  commanded  the  English  army  in  North  America, 
which  was  then  fl757)  encamped  at  fort  Edward,  having  intelligence 
that  the  French  troops,  under  Monsieur  Montcalm,  were  making  some 
movements  toward  fort  William  Henry,  he  detached  a  corps  of  about 
fifteen  hundred  men,  consisting  of  English  and  provincials,  to  strengthen 
the  garrison.  In  this  party  I  went  as  a  volunteer  among  the  latter. 

The  apprehensions  of  the  English  general  were  not  without  foundation ; 
for,  the  day  after  our  arrival,  we  saw  lake  George,  (formerly  lake  Sacra 
ment,)  to  which  it  lies  contiguous,  covered  with  an  immense  number  of 
boats;  and,  in  a  few  hours,  we  found  our  lines  attacked  by  the  French 
general,  who  had  just  landed  with  eleven  thousand  regulars  and  Canadi 
ans,  and  two  thousand  Indians.  Colonel  Monro,  a  brave  officer,  com 
manded  the  fort,  and  had  no  more  than  two  thousand  three  hundred  men 
with  him,  our  detachment  included. 

With  these,  he  made  a  gallant  defense,  and  probably  would  have  been 
able,  at  last,  to  preserve  the  fort,  had  he  been  properly  supported,  o,nd 
permitted  to  continue  his  efforts.  On  every  summons  to  surrender,  sent 
by  the  French  general,  who  offered  the  most  honorable  terms,  his  answer 
repeatedly  was,  that  he  yet  found  himself  in  a  condition  to  repel  the  most 
vigorous  attack  his  besiegers  were  able  to  make ;  and,  if  he  thought  his 
present  force  insufficient,  he  could  soon  be  supplied  with  a  greater  number 
from  the  adjacent  army. 

But  the  colonel  having  acquainted  General  Webb  with  his  situation, 
and  desired  that  he  would  send  him  some  fresh  troops,  the  general  dis 
patched  a  messenger  to  him  with  a  letter,  wherein  he  informed  him  that 
it  was  not  in  his  power  to  assist  him,  and,  therefore,  gave  him  orders  to 
surrender  up  the  fort,  on  the  best  terms  he  could  procure.  This  packet 


CAPTIVITY    OF   CAPTAIN    CARVER.  489 

fell  into  the  hands  of  the  French  general,  who  immediately  sent  a  flag  of 
truce,  desiring  a  conference  with  the  governor. 

They  accordingly  met,  attended  only  by  a  small  guard,  in  the  center 
between  the  lines ;  when  Monsieur  Montcalm  told  the  colonel  that  he  was 
come  in  person  to  demand  possession  of  the  fort,  as  it  belonged  to  the 
king  his  master.  The  colonel  replied,  that  he  knew  not  how  that  could 
be,  nor  should  he  surrender  it  up,  while  it  was  in  his  power  to  defend  it 

The  French  general  rejoined,  at  the  same  time  delivering  the  packet 
into  the  colonel's  hand,  "  By  this  authority  do  I  make  the  requisition." 
The  brave  governor  had  no  sooner  read  the  contents  of  it,  and  was  con 
vinced  that  such  were  the  orders  of  the  commander-in-chief,  and  not  to 
be  disobeyed,  than  he  hung  his  head  in  silence,  and  reluctantly  entered 
into  a  negotiation. 

In  consideration  of  the  gallant  defense  the  garrison  had  made,  they 
were  to  be  permitted  to  march  out  with  all  the  honors  of  war,  to  be 
allowed  covered  wagons  to  transport  their  baggage  to  fort  Edward,  and  a 
guard  to  protect  them  from  the  fury  of  the  savages. 

The  morning  after  the  capitulation  was  signed,  as  soon  as  day  broke, 
the  whole  garrison,  now  consisting  of  about  two  thousand  men,  besides 
women  and  children,  were  drawn  up  within  the  lines,  and  on  the  point  of 
marching  off,  when  great  numbers  of  the  Indians  gathered  about,  and 
began  to  plunder.  We  were  at  first  in  hopes  that  this  was  their  only 
view,  and  suffered  them  to  proceed  without  opposition.  Indeed,  it  was 
not  in  our  power  to  make  any,  had  we  been  so  inclined ;  for  though  we 
were  permitted  to  carry  off  our  arms,  yet  we  were  not  allowed  a  single 
round  of  ammunition.  In  these  hopes,  however,  we  were  disappointed ; 
for  presently  some  of  them  began  to  attack  the  sick  and  wounded,  when 
such  as  were  not  able  to  crawl  into  the  ranks,  notwithstanding  they  endea 
vored  to  avert  the  fury  of  their  enemies  by  their  shrieks  or  groans,  were 
soon  dispatched. 

Here  we  were  fully  in  expectation  that  the  disturbance  would  have 
concluded ;  and  our  little  army  began  to  move ;  but  in  a  short  time  we 
saw  the  front  division  driven  back,  and  discovered  that  we  were  entirely 
encircled  by  the  savages.  We  expected  every  moment  that  the  guard, 
which  the  French,  by  the  articles  of  capitulation,  had  agreed  to  allow  us, 
would  have  arrived,  and  put  an  end  to  our  apprehensions;  but  none 
appeared.  The  Indians  now  began  to  strip  eve^y  one,  without  exception, 
of  their  arms  and  clothes,  and  those  who  made  the  least  resistance  felt 
the  weight  of  their  tomahawks. 

I  happened  to  be  in  the  rear  division,  but  it  was  not  long  before  I 
shared  the  fate  of  my  companions.  Three  or  four  of  the  savages  laid 


490  CAPTIVITY    OP    CAPTAIN    CARVER. 

hold  of  me,  and  while  some  held  their  weapons  over  my  head,  the  others 
soon  disrobed  me  of  my  coat,  waistcoat,  hat,  and  buckles,  omitting  not  to 
take  from  me  what  money  I  had  in  my  pocket.  As  this  was  transacted 
close  by  the  passage  that  led  from  the  lines  on  to  the  plain,  near  which  a 
French  sentinel  was  posted,  I  ran  to  him  and  claimed  his  protection;  but 
he  only  called  me  an  English  dog,  and  thrust  me  with  violence  back 
again  into  the  midst  of  the  Indians. 

I  now  endeavored  to  join  a  body  of  our  troops  that  were  crowded 
together  at  some  distance ;  but  innumerable  were  the  blows  that  were 
made  at  me  with  different  weapons,  as  I  passed  on ;  luckily,  however,  the 
savages  were  so  close  together  that  they  could  not  strike  at  me  without  en 
dangering  each  other.  Notwithstanding  which,  one  of  them  found  means  to 
make  a  thrust  at  me  with  a  spear,  which  grazed  my  side,  and  from 
another  I  received  a  wound,  with  the  same  kind  of  weapon,  in  my  ankle. 
At  length  I  gained  the  spot  where  my  countrymen  stood,  and  forced 
myself  into  the  midst  of  them.  But  before  I  got  thus  far  out  of  the 
hands  of  the  Indians,  the  collar  and  wristbands  of  my  shirt  were  all  that 
remained  of  it,  and  my  flesh  was  scratched  and  torn  in  many  places  by 
their  savage  gripes. 

By  this  time  the  war-whoop  was  given,  and  the  Indians  began  to 
murder  those  that  were  nearest  to  them,  without  distinction.  It  is  not 
in  the  power  of  words  to  give  any  tolerable  idea  of  the  horrid  scene  that 
now  ensued;  men,  women,  and  children  were  dispatched  in  the  most 
wanton  and  cruel  manner,  and  immediately  scalped.  Many  of  these 
savages  drank  the  blood  of  their  victims,  as  it  flowed  warm  from  the  fatal 
wound. 

We  now  perceived,  though  too  late  to  avail  us,  that  we  were  to  expect 
no  relief  from  the  French ;  and  that,  contrary  to  the  agreement  they  had 
so  lately  signed,  to  allow  us  a  sufficient  force  to  protect  us  from  these 
insults,  they  tacitly  permitted  them;  for,  I  could  plainly  perceive  the 
French  officers  walking  about  at  some  distance,  discoursing  together  with 
apparent  unconcern.  For  the  honor  of  human  nature,  I  would  hope  that 
this  flagrant  breach  of  every  sacred  law  proceeded  rather  from  the  savage 
disposition  of  the  Indians,  which,  I  acknowledge,  it  is  sometimes  almost 
impossible  to  control,  and  which  might  now  unexpectedly  have  arrived  to 
a  pitch  not  easily  to  be  restrained,  than  to  any  premeditated  design  in  the 
French  commander.  An  unprejudiced  observer  would,  however,  be  apt 
to  conclude,  that  a  body  of  ten  thousand  Christian  troops  —  most  Christian 
troops  —  had  it  in  their  power  to  prevent  the  massacre  from  becoming  so 
general.  But,  whatever  was  the  cause  from  which  it  arose,  the  conse 
quences  of  it  were  dreadful,  and  not  to  be  paralleled  in  modern  history. 


CAPTIVITY  OP  CAPTAIN  CARVER.  491 

As  the  circle  in  which  I  stood  inclosed,  was  by  this  time  much  thinned, 
and  death  seemed  to  be  approaching  with  hasty  strides,  it  was  proposed  by 
some  of  the  most  resolute,  to  make  one  vigorous  effort,  and  endeavor  to 
force  our  way  through  the  savages,  the  only  probable  method  of  preserv 
ing  our  lives,  that  now  remained.  This,  however  desperate,  was  resolved 
on,  and  about  twenty  of  us  sprang  at  cnce  into  the  midst  of  them. 

In  a  moment  we  were  all  separated,  and  what  was  the  fate  of  my  com 
panions  I  could  not  learn  till  some  months  after,  when  I  found  that  only 
six  or  seven  of  them  effected  their  design.  Intent  only  on  my  own 
hazardous  situation,  I  endeavored  to  make  my  way  through  my  savage 
enemies  in  the  best  manner  possible.  And  I  have  often  been  astonished 
since,  when  I  have  recollected  with  what  composure  I  took,  as  I  did, 
every  necessary  step  for  my  preservation.  Some  I  overturned,  being  at 
that  time  young  and  athletic,  and  others  I  passed  by,  dexterously  avoiding 
their  weapons ;  till  at  last  two  very  stout  chiefs,  of  the  most  savage  tribes, 
as  I  could  distinguish  by  their  dress,  whose  strength  I  could  not  resist, 
laid  hold  of  me  by  each  arm,  and  began  to  force  me  through  the  crowd. 
I  now  resigned  myself  to  my  fate,  not  doubting  but  that  they  intended 
to  dispatch  me,  and  then  to  satiate  their  vengeance  with  my  blood,  as  I 
found  they  were  hurrying  me  toward  a  retired  swamp  that  lay  at  some 
distance.  But,  before  we  had  got  many  yards,  an  English  gentleman  of 
some  distinction,  as  I  could  discover  by  his  breeches,  the  only  covering 
he  had  on,  which  were  of  fine  scarlet  velvet,  rushed  close  by  us.  One 
of  the  Indians  instantly  relinquished  his  hold,  and  springing  on  this  new 
object,  endeavored  to  seize  him  as  his  prey;  but  the  gentleman  being 
strong,  threw  him  on  the  ground,  and  would  probably  have  got  away, 
had  not  he  who  held  my  other  arm  quitted  me  to  assist  his  brother. 
I  seized  the  opportunity,  and  hastened  away  to  join  another  party  of  Eng 
lish  troops  that  were  yet  unbroken,  and  stood  in  a  body  at  some  distance. 
But  before  I  had  taken  many  steps,  I  hastily  cast  my  eye  toward  the  gen 
tleman,  and  saw  the  Indian's  tomahawk  gash  into  his  back,  and  heard 
him  utter  his  last  groan.  This  added  both  to  my  speed  and  desperation. 
I  had  left  this  shocking  scene  but  a  few  yards,  when  a  fine  boy,  about 
twelve  years  of  age,  that  had  hitherto  escaped,  came  up  to  me,  and 
begged  that  I  would  let  him  lay  hold  of  me,  so  that  he  might  stand  some 
chance  of  getting  out  of  the  hands  of  the  savages.  I  told  him  that  I 
would  give  him  every  assistance  in  my  power,  and  to  this  purpose,  bid 
him  lay  hold ;  but  in  a  few  moments  he  was  torn  from  my  side,  and  by 
his  shrieks  I  judge  was  soon  demolished.  I  could  not  help  forgetting  my 
own  cares  for  a  minute,  to  lament  the  fate  of  so  young  a  sufferer ;  but  it 
was  utterly  impossible  for  me  to  take  any  methods  to  prevent  it 


492  CAPTIVITY   OF    CAPTAIN   CARVER. 

I  now  got  once  more  into  the  midst  of  friends,  but  we  were  unable  to 
afford  each  other  any  succor.  As  this  was  the  division  that  had  advanced 
the  furthest  from  the  fort,  I  thought  there  might  be  a  possibility  (though 
but  a  bare  one)  of  my  forcing  my  way  through  the  outer  ranks  of  the 
Indians,  and  getting  to  a  neighboring  wood,  which  I  perceived  at  some 
distance.  I  was  still  encouraged  to  hope  by  the  almost  miraculous  pre 
servation  I  had  already  experienced. 

Nor  were  my  hopes  in  vain,  or  the  efforts  I  made  ineffectual.  Suffice 
to  say,  that  I  reached  the  wood ;  but  by  the  time  I  had  penetrated  a 
little  way  into  it,  my  breath  was  so  exhausted  that  I  threw  myself  into  a 
break,  and  lay  for  some  minutes  apparently  at  the  last  gasp.  At  length 
I  recovered  the  power  of  respiration;  but  my  apprehensions  returned 
with  all  their  former  force,  when  I  saw  several  savages  pass  by,  probably 
in  pursuit  of  me,  at  no  very  great  distance.  In  this  situation  I  knew  not 
whether  it  was  better  to  proceed,  or  endeavor  to  conceal  myself  where  I 
lay  till  night  came  on ;  fearing,  however,  that  they  would  return  the  same 
way,  I  thought  it  most  prudent  to  get  further  from  the  dreadful  scene 
of  my  distresses.  Accordingly,  striking  into  another  part  of  the  wood,  I 
hastened  on  as  fast  as  the  briers  and  the  loss  of  one  of  my  shoes  would 
permit  me ;  and  after  a  slow  progress  of  some  hours,  gained  a  hill  that 
overlooked  the  plain  which  I  had  just  left,  from  whence  I  could  discern 
that  the  bloody  storm  still  raged  with  unabated  fury. 

But,  not  to  tire  my  readers,  I  shall  only  add,  that  after  passing  three 
days  without  subsistence,  and  enduring  the  severity  of  the  cold  dews  for 
three  nights,  I  at  length  reached  fort  Edward;  where,  with  proper  care 
my  body  soon  recovered  its  wonted  strength,  and  my  mind,  as  far  as 
the  recollection  of  the  late  melancholy  events  would  permit,  its  usual 
composure. 

It  was  computed  that  fifteen  hundred  persons  were  killed  or  made 
prisoners  by  these  savages  during  this  fatal  day.  Many  of  the  latter 
were  carried  off  by  them  and  never  returned.  A  few,  through  favorable 
accidents,  found  their  way  back  to  their  native  country,  after  having 
experienced  a  long  and  severe  captivity. 

The  brave  CoL  Monro  had  hastened  away,  soon  after  the  confusion 
began,  to  the  French  camp,  to  endeavor  to  procure  the  guard  agreed  by 
the  stipulation;  but  his  application  proving  ineffectual,  he  remained  there 
till  General  Webb  sent  a  party  of  troops  to  demand  and  protect  him  back 
to  fort  Edward.  But  these  unhappy  occurrences,  which  would  probably 
have  been  prevented  had  he  been  left  to  pursue  his  own  plans,  together 
with  the  loss  of  so  many  brave  fellows,  murdered  in  cold  blood,  to  whose 
valor  he  had  been  so  lately  a  witness,  made  such  an  impression  on  his 


CAPTIVITY    OF    CAPTAIN    CARVER.  493 

mind  that  he  did  not  long  survive.  He  died  in  about  three  months,  of  a 
broken  heart,  and  with  truth  might  it  be  said,  that  he  was  an  honor  to 
his  country. 

I  mean  not  to  point  out  the  following  circumstance  as  the  immediate 
judgment  of  Heaven,  and  intended  as  an  atonement  for  this  slaughter, 
but  I  cannot  omit  that  very  few  of  those  different  tribes  of  Indians  that 
shared  in  it  ever  lived  to  return  home.  The  small-pox,  by  means  of  their 
communication  with  the  Europeans,  found  its  way  among  them,  and 
made  an  equal  havoc  to  what  they  themselves  had  done.  The  methods 
they  pursued  on  the  first  attack  of  that  malignant  disorder,  to  abate  the 
fever  attending  it,  rendered  it  fatal.  While  their  blood  was  in  a  state  of 
fermentation,  and  nature  was  striving  to  throw  out  the  peccant  matter, 
they  checked  her  operations  by  plunging  into  the  water ;  the  consequence 
was  that  they  died  by  hundreds.  The  few  that  survived,  were  trans 
formed  by  it  into  hideous  objects,  and  bore  with  them  to  the  grave  deep 
indented  marks  of  this  much  dreaded  disease. 

Monsieur  Montcalm  fell  soon  after  on  the  plains  of  Quebec. 

That  the  unprovoked  cruelty  of  this  commander  was  not  approved  of 
by  the  generality  of  his  countrymen,  I  have  since  been  convinced  of  by 
many  proofs.  Only  one,  however,  which  I  received  from  a  person  who 
was  witness  to  it,  shall  I  at  present  give.  A  Canadian  merchant,  of  some 
consideration,  having  heard  of  the  surrender  of  the  English  fort,  cele 
brated  the  fortunate  event  with  great  rejoicings  and  hospitality,  according 
to  the  custom  of  that  country ;  but  no  sooner  did  the  news  of  the  mas 
sacre  which  ensued  reach  his  ears,  than  he  put  an  immediate  stop  to 
the  festivities,  and  exclaimed  in  the  severest  terms  against  the  inhuman 
permission ;  declaring  at  the  same  time  that  those  who  had  connived  at  it 
had  thereby  drawn  down  on  that  part  of  their  king's  dominions  the 
vengeance  of  Heaven.  To  this  he  added,  that  he  much  feared  the  total 
loss  of  them,  would  deservedly  be  the  consequence.  How  truly  this 
prediction  has  been  verified,  we  well  know. 


NARRATIVE    OF    THE    CAPTIVITY 

OP 

MRS.  SCOTT. 


MRS.  SCOTT,  a  resident  of  Washington  county,  Virginia,  was  taken 
captive  by  Indians  on  the  night  of  the  twenty-ninth  of  June,  1785.  Her 
husband  and  all  her  children  were  slain ;  and  before  morning  she  was 
forced  to  commence  her  march  through  the  wilderness. 

On  the  eleventh  day  of  her  captivity,  while  in  charge  of  four  Indians, 
provision  becoming  scarce,  a  halt  was  made,  and  three  of  the  number 
went  on  a  hunting  excursion.  Being  left  in  the  care  of  an  old  man,  she 
made  him  believe  she  was  reconciled  to  her  condition,  and  thus  threw 
him  off  his  guard.  Anxious  to  escape,  and  having  matured  her  plans, 
she  asked  him,  in  the  most  disinterested  manner  possible,  to  let  her  go  to 
a  small  stream,  near  by,  and  wash  her  apron,  which  was  besmeared  with 
the  blood  of  one  of  her  children.  He  gave  her  leave,  and  while  he  was 
busy  in  "  graining  a  deer-skin,"  she  started  off.  Arriving  at  the  stream, 
without  a  moment's  hesitation,  she  pushed  on  in  the  direction  of  a  moun 
tain.  Traveling  till  late  at  night,  she  came  into  a  valley  where  she  hoped 
to  find  the  track  along  which  she  had  been  taken  by  her  captors,  and 
thereby  be  able-  to  retrace  her  steps.  Hurrying  across  the  valley  to  the 
margin  of  a  river,  which  she  supposed  must  be  the  eastern  branch  of  the 
Kentucky,  she  discovered  in  the  sand  the  tracks  of  two  men  who  had 
followed  the  stream  upward  and  returned.  Thinking  them  to  be  the 
prints  of  pursuers,  and  that  they  had  returned  from  the  search,  she  took 
courage,  thanked  God,  and  was  prepared  to  continue  her  flight. 

On  the  third  day  she  came  very  near  falling  into  the  hands  of  savages, 
a  company  whom  she  supposed  had  been  sent  to  Clinch  river  on  a  pilfer 
ing  excursion.  Hearing  their  approach  before  they  came  in  sight,  she 
concealed  herself,  and  they  passed  without  noticing  her.  She  now 
became  greatly  alarmed,  and  was  so  bewildered  as  to  lose  her  way  and 
to  wander  at  random  for  several  days. 


MRS.  SCOTT'S  CAPTIVITY.  495 

At  length,  coming  to  a  stream  that  seemed  to  flow  from  the  east,  she 
concluded  it  must  be  Sandy  river ;  and  resolving  to  trace  it  to  its  source, 
which  was  near  a  settlement  where  she  was  acquainted,  she  pushed  on 
for  several  days,  till  she  came  into  mountainous  regions  and  to  craggy 
steeps.  There,  in  the. vicinity  of  a  "prodigious  waterfall,"  she  was  forced 
to  leap  from  a  precipice,  upon  some  rocks,  and  was  so  stunned  as  to  be 
obliged  to  make  a  short  delay  in  her  journey. 

Soon  after  passing  through  the  mountain,  (Laurel  mountain,)  she  was 
bitten  by  a  snake  which  she  supposed  was  venomous.  She  killed  it,  and 
expected  her  turn  to  die  would  come  next;  but  the  only  injury  she 
received  was  some  pain  and  the  slight  swelling  of  one  foot.  A  writer, 
whose  narration  we  follow,  and  whose  facts  are  more  reliable  than  his  philo 
sophy,  thinks  that,  being  "reduced  to  a  mere  skeleton,  with  fatigue, 
hunger  and  grief,"  she  was  probably,  on  that  account,  "  saved  from  the 
effects  of  the  poisonous  fangs." 

Leaving  the  river,  Mrs.  Scott  came  to  a  forked  valley,  and  watching  the 
flight  of  birds,  took  the  branch  they  did,  and  in  two  days  came  in  sight  of 
New  Garden,  the  settlement  on  Clinch  river,  before  referred  to.  Thus, 
after  wandering  in  the  wilderness  for  six  long  weeks,  almost  destitute  of 
clothing,  without  a  weapon  of  defense  or  instrument  for  obtaining  pro 
vision  ;  exposed  to  wild  beasts  and  merciless  savages ;  subsisting  a  full 
month  on  the  juice  of  young  cane  stalks,  sassafras  leaves  and  similar  food, 
looking  to  God  in  prayer  for  guidance  by  day,  and  for  protection  by  night* 
shielded  from  serious  harm,  and  led  by  an  unseen  Hand,  on  the  eleventh 
of  August,  the  wanderings  of  the  widowed  and  childless  captive  were 
brought  to  a  close.  J.  C. 


THE    END. 


